ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

European Union Third Package

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the European Union Third Package has been transposed into domestic legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The EU Third Energy Package has not yet been transposed into domestic legislation. The Government intend to lay the relevant regulations shortly and to ask Parliament to make the regulations by affirmative resolution.

Green Climate Fund

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the financing of the Green Climate Fund.

Gregory Barker: Establishing the Green Climate Fund at COP 16 in Cancun was a key outcome from the UNFCCC negotiations. The operational details of the Green Climate Fund, including its board membership and financing arrangements, will be considered by a transitional committee. This committee has been tasked with designing the fund and making its recommendations to COP 17 later this year. Terms of reference for the committee were annexed to the Cancun agreement.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of the proposed biofuels plant near Avonmouth on levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

Gregory Barker: The planning appeal under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 into W4B Bristol Ltd.'s proposal for a biofuel renewable energy plant at the former Sevalco Site in Avonmouth was determined by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), following a public local inquiry.
	Sustainability criteria for bioliquids (biofuels used to generate electricity) will be implemented in the renewables obligation from next month, subject to parliamentary agreement. The sustainability criteria require the generator to produce auditable information which demonstrates that significant greenhouse gas emissions savings have been made and land which is highly biodiverse or of a high carbon stock was not used. The bioelectricity generated is not eligible for support under the renewables obligation unless the bioliquid meets the sustainability criteria.
	When the planning application was approved, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government set an extra condition that the plant will only use bioliquids that meet the sustainability criteria, regardless of whether RO support is claimed by the generator.

Wind Power

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the amount of electricity consumed by wind turbines when they are not generating electricity; and what consideration is given to such electricity consumption in determining the allocation of renewables obligation certificates.

Charles Hendry: Independent analysis commissioned by DECC estimates own power used by wind turbines ranges between 1.5% and 2.4%.
	The renewable obligation is a generation based subsidy. Renewable obligation certificates are therefore issued in respect of the renewable output of a generating station. However, the "renewable output" of a generating station is reduced to take into account "input electricity" if the input electricity used by the generating station in generating the output electricity exceeds 0.5% of the total amount of the output electricity. This is set out in article 25(1) and (2) of the renewables obligation order 2009.
	Input electricity is defined in article 24(6)(a) of the renewables obligation order 2009 as the total amount of electricity used by that station for purposes directly related to its operation, including for fuel handling, fuel preparation, maintenance and the pumping of water, whether or not that electricity is generated by the station or used while the station is generating electricity.

JUSTICE

Departmental Location

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on his proposals for relocation of posts in his Department out of London by 2015.

Crispin Blunt: In 2009 a total of 200 Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) posts were moved out of London. Around 240 further OPG posts are planned to move from London during 2011-12.
	The approach to accommodating civil servants out of London (across all Government Departments) is being led by the Government Property Unit and we are working closely with them.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals to relocate  (a) staff and  (b) offices of her Department to Brighton; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Department has no plans to relocate staff to Brighton and open offices in Brighton.

Detention Centres

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been held in immigration detention for a period of over six months owing to an inability to remove them from the UK in each of the last three years; and what the longest period was for which such an individual was detained in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: Information on all persons detained for more than six months by reason of detention and length of detention of individuals is not held centrally and would be available only through the detailed examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
	The following table shows the number of people detained for six months or longer, solely under Immigration Act powers, as at the end of each quarter, for which data are available.
	
		
			  Persons recorded as being in detention( 1,2)  for six months( 3)  or longer, in the United Kingdom, solely under Immigration Act powers (including asylum seekers and children), as at end of quarter( 4,5) 
			  As at:  Number of persons 
			  2008  
			 27 December 450 
			   
			  2009  
			 31 March 485 
			 30 June 480 
			 30 September 525 
			 31 December 535 
			   
			  2010  
			 31 March 535 
			 30 June 535 
			 30 September 555 
			 31 December 520 
			 (1) Figures rounded to the nearest five. Excludes persons detained in police cells, Prison Service establishments and those detained under both criminal and immigration powers and their dependants. (2) Figures include dependants. (3) Six months is defined as 182 days. (4) Relates to most recent period of sole detention. The period of detention starts when a person first enters the UK Border Agency estate. If the person is then moved from a removal centre to a police cell or Prison Service establishment, this period of stay will be included if the detention is solely under Immigration Act powers. (5) These figures are based on management information and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics. 
		
	
	The Home Office publishes National Statistics on length of detention solely under Immigration Act powers on a quarterly and annual basis which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Detention Centres: Children

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were detained in the immigration system in 2010.

Damian Green: The requested information is not available. The latest published figures show that 405 children entered detention solely under Immigration Act powers in 2010; however, some of these children may have entered detention more than once.
	Provisional 2010 figures on persons entering detention are available in Table 3.4 (ii) of the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary Fourth Quarter 2010, published on 24 February 2011, which is available from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
	On 16 December 2010, the Government announced the immediate closure of the family unit to children at the Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre. A new non-detained family returns process was also announced to deliver the coalition commitment to end the detention of children for immigration purposes.
	The UK Border Agency will now follow a new four stage process focused on engagement with families during the decision making process, giving parents the opportunity to engage in when and how they return, when they have been found to have no legal right to stay in the UK. The new measures will ensure a family's return home is safe and dignified. Most elements of this new approach will be in place from 1 March 2011.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burundi: Overseas Aid

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department provides to Burundi; and what plans he has for  (a) government-monitoring,  (b) assisting in the repatriation of refugees and  (c) providing aid in the areas of housing, health and education in that country.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) is providing £11 million to Burundi in the financial year 2010-11. As part of support to develop a Poverty Reduction Strategy for 2011-14, DFID and other donors are helping the Government of Burundi put in place improved structures during 2011 to monitor and evaluate delivery. Because most Burundian refugees have now been successfully repatriated and reintegrated, DFID has recently phased out refugee assistance. DFID funding is focused on improving the delivery of services in health and education, increasing people's access to justice and supporting Burundi's integration into the East African Community (EAC).
	From the financial year 2012-13, DFID will focus exclusively on supporting Burundi's integration into the EAC, which the UK assesses to be the greatest single contributing factor to economic growth in Burundi over the medium term. DFID therefore has no plans to provide support in other areas, which are being addressed by other donors.

Burundi: Overseas Aid

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department is providing to local industries and natural resources projects in Burundi.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) is providing £11 million to Burundi in the financial year 2010-11. This funding is focusing on improving the delivery of services in health and education, increasing people's access to justice and supporting Burundi's integration into the East African Community (EAC).
	DFID's support to EAC integration will focus on reducing the time and cost of transporting goods, and eliminating barriers to trade. The increased potential for regional trade provided by the EAC, and the improved conditions created through DFID's support, will have a direct impact on the opportunities for local industries to flourish. DFID does not contribute directly to the management of natural resources in Burundi.

Developing Countries: Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's expenditure on overseas aid was spent on education in each of the last three years; and what the planned allocation is for 2010-11.

Stephen O'Brien: Details of the Department for International Development (DFID) expenditure are published annually in "Statistics on International Development", which is available online at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	and in the Library of the House. The relevant figures for each of the last three years are reproduced in the following table.
	
		
			  DFID expenditure-education sector 
			  Financial year  DFID bilateral (£ million)  DFID multilateral (£ million)  Total DFID (£ million)  Percentage of DFID programme 
			 2009-10 395 117 512 8 
			 2008-09 451 117 568 9 
			 2007-08 362 117 479 7 
		
	
	Expenditure figures for 2010-11 will be published later in the year.

Environment Protection: Innovation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what timetable he has set for the development of his proposed innovation prizes for pro-poor environmental technologies.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently assessing the evidence on innovation prizes and scoping out how we could support prizes for pro-poor environmental technologies. We will focus on technologies that could help poor people in developing countries to respond to the impacts of climate change and to gain access to low carbon jobs, products and services. We aim to complete this work by mid-2011.

International Climate Fund

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what timetable he has set for the development of indicators to measure the effectiveness of the International Climate Fund.

Andrew Mitchell: The International Climate Fund (ICF) will enable the UK to help developing countries both adapt to the impacts of climate change and move on to a low carbon growth path.
	The Departments involved in the ICF, the Department for International Development (DFID), the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Her Majesty's Treasury (HMT), and in consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), will develop methodologies and indicators to track impact and value for money of the ICF. DFID's business plan 2011-15 commits my Department to developing methodologies and indicators on adaptation, low carbon development and protecting forests by June 2011. These methodologies and indicators will inform the monitoring and evaluation framework of the ICF. This will help ensure that we best focus our aid to effectively tackle climate change.

Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided for new TB vaccines in each of the last five years.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) awarded Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation a grant of £10.5 million for the financial years 2009-10 to 2013-14.
	A sum of £4 million was disbursed in financial year 2009-10 and DFID expects to disburse £5.5 million in 2010-11.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

AIRE Centre: Finance

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding his Department has provided to the Advice on Individual Rights in Europe Centre in each of the last five years.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has funded rule of law projects, run by the Advice on Individual Rights in Europe (AIRE), in both Serbia and Montenegro in the recent past, and continues to do so. The Government attach great importance to the development of effective rule of law in the countries of the Western Balkans, in particular in the area of judicial reform.
	In Montenegro, the FCO will have allocated £132,500, over the 2008-12 period, to fund two AIRE projects on rule of law and judicial reform. In Serbia, the FCO will have allocated, over the period 2004-12, £449,256 for a further two rule of law and judicial training projects.
	We estimate that over the last five years (2006-11) the FCO has provided, in total, approximately £455,500 in funding to AIRE.

Bahrain: Defence Equipment

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will investigate reports of the use by the government of Bahrain of military equipment sold to it by UK companies; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Export licenses are kept under constant review and every licence is scrutinised in light of changing facts on the ground, the Government have reviewed export licenses to Bahrain and any licences for equipment that could be used for internal repression have been revoked.
	We are seeking clarification from the Bahraini Government over the potential use of British supplied equipment during these protests. However, to date we have seen no evidence of British supplied equipment being used by the Bahraini authorities during the recent protests.

British Nationals Abroad: Prisoners

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has estimated the number of British citizens serving custodial sentences in prisons overseas.

Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) takes a snapshot twice a year of the number of British nationals in detention overseas. At 30 September 2010 the FCO was aware of 2,594 British nationals detained overseas (both in custody pending trial or deportation, and serving custodial sentences).

Burundi: Diplomatic Relations

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for diplomatic engagement in Burundi.

Henry Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office presence in Burundi is modest, consisting of one UK-based and two locally engaged staff. Our non-resident ambassador, based in Kigali, visits Burundi on a regular basis. The UK conducts much diplomatic activity through EU representation in Burundi, with our non-resident ambassador maintaining regular communication with other EU Heads of Mission in Burundi. Moving forward, one of the Government's priorities is to assist Burundi to integrate into the East African Community. The Government of Burundi have signalled that it intends to open an embassy in London, a move which we would welcome.

Burundi: Overseas Aid

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent support his Department has given to post-conflict reconstruction in Burundi.

Henry Bellingham: The UK has provided strong political and programmatic support to post-conflict reconstruction and the return of refugees in Burundi since the end of the civil war in 2003, including the work of the Department for International Development in the successful reintegration of over 500,000 refugees from Tanzania and other countries.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has complemented this through working closely with the international community to support Burundi in its return to stability. Through regular discussions in the UN Security Council, in particular around the renewal of the mandate of the UN mission in Burundi, and through active participation in the Peace Building Commission, the UK has promoted the protection of the human rights of vulnerable citizens, including returnees, and emphasised the importance of instituting an effective transitional justice mechanism. Our offices in Burundi and our ambassador based in Kigali have also encouraged the Government of Burundi to take these and other steps that we believe are essential in enabling Burundi to complete its post-conflict recovery. The Anglican Archbishop of Burundi recently praised the support of the Government for their engagement.

Costa Rica

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on  (a) the San Juan River dispute between Costa Rica and Nicaragua and  (b) the potential effects of that dispute on biodiversity; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: I have received a series of reports on the dispute from our ambassador in San José, from our Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York (after his meeting with the Costa Rican Foreign Minister, Rene Castro) and from our embassy in The Hague, where the case has been referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In January the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the hon. Member for North West Norfolk (Mr Bellingham), met the Costa Rican Foreign Minister to discuss the matter and I too recently discussed the dispute with a delegation of Costa Rican parliamentarians.
	I am aware that the recent dredging of the river San Juan could affect the flow of water, the wetlands and areas protected for wildlife located in the region, but no formal independent studies have yet been made on the impact. We have asked our ambassador in San José (who is also accredited to the Nicaraguan Government) to continue to monitor the situation closely.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of his Department's adherence to each of the principles of good employment practice set out in the Cabinet Office publication Principles of Good Employment Practice.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office routinely benchmarks its employment policies to ensure compliance with obligations under employment law and to follow best employment practice. Suppliers are also encouraged to follow the principles in any outsourcing or contracting-out of work or functions.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many  (a) actual and  (b) full-time equivalent staff his Department employed at the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many  (a) actual and  (b) full-time equivalent staff were employed by his Department in May 2010.

Alistair Burt: Approximately 5,000 UK-based staff currently work for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We also have approximately 10,000 locally engaged staff working overseas. For operational and security reasons, we cannot provide a more detailed breakdown.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Iran on the detention of Mrs Fariba Kamalabdi and Mrs Mahvash Sabet of the Baha'i faith.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned by reports that Mrs Fariba Kamalabdi and Mrs Mahvash Sabet, two of the seven detained Baha'i leaders in Iran, were recently moved to less secure prison sections. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials raised this issue with the Iranian chargé d'affaires on 17 February 2011 and made clear that while continuing to disagree with their detention, their safety while in custody is of primary importance. FCO officials requested further details as to why they were moved, and sought assurances they would receive adequate protection.

Iran: Human Rights

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the adoption of a resolution at the Human Rights Council on the state of human rights in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are extremely concerned about the human rights situation in Iran and want to see the UN respond to all serious human rights situations.
	We supported the resolution on Iran human rights at the UN General Assembly last year, and would give our full support to a resolution at the Human Rights Council as well. Such a resolution would require the majority support of Council members to pass.

Iran: Human Rights

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on Iran's human rights record; and what response he has received.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not made representations directly to his new Iranian counterpart. However, the Secretary of State released a statement on 14 February 2011,  Official Report, columns 714-716, condemning the violent suppression of protests in Iran and raised his concerns over the human rights situation in Iran when addressing the UN Human Rights Council on 28 February 2011. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also raised human rights in a meeting with the Iranian Chargé d'Affaires on 17 February 2011. We will continue to take opportunities to highlight abuses where they occur, calling on Iran to fulfil its international and domestic human rights obligations.

Iran: Sanctions

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the UN Sanctions Committee on reports of the discovery of a consignment of weapons in Apapa, Nigeria, suspected of having been smuggled from Iran.

Henry Bellingham: The UK drew the UN 1737 Sanctions Committee's attention to the discovery of a consignment of weapons in transit through Nigeria from Iran in late 2010. The Panel of Experts consequently travelled to Nigeria in January 2011 to conduct an investigation. It received full co-operation from the Nigerian authorities in the conduct of its inspections. The case remains under review until judicial proceedings in Nigeria are concluded. The UK strongly supports the work of the Panel of Experts, whose role is to investigate and report on the full and effective implementation of sanctions against Iran. This incident highlights the UK and the rest of the international community's concerns that Iran continues to defy multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and is seeking to foster instability rather than play a constructive role in regional affairs. This also demonstrates the effectiveness of the Panel of Experts' work in responding to such cases.

Japan: Whales

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Japanese counterpart on whaling ahead of the International Whaling Commission meeting in July.

Jeremy Browne: Ministers and senior officials regularly raise our concerns about Japanese whaling activities with the Japanese Government, most recently in January 2011. Both my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I raised it during our visits to Japan last year. The Japanese Government is in no doubt as to the strength of feeling in this country about all of Japan's whaling activity. We will continue to challenge Japan's position ahead of this year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in July.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his objectives are for his Department's participation in the Quartet in the Middle East peace process.

Alistair Burt: The UK is represented on the Middle East Quartet by the EU. It is primarily through the EU, but also through our strong links with other Middle East Quartet members-the US, UN and Russia-that we focus our efforts in pushing for a more prescriptive approach to the Middle East peace process.
	Our goal, as stated clearly by the UK, France and Germany, following the 18 February 2011 vote on the Palestinian UN resolution on settlements, is to return the parties to negotiations on the basis of clear parameters. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear in the House on 14 February 2011,  Official Report, column 716, the entire international community, including the US, should now support 1967 borders as the basis for resumed negotiations. The result should be two states, with Jerusalem as the future capital of both, and a fair settlement for refugees.

Mohammed Junaid Babar

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the US administration on the case of Mohammed Junaid Babar; and if he will make a statement.

William Hague: The prosecution and sentencing of Mohammed Junaid Babar was a matter for the US authorities and their independent judicial system. However, given that Mr Babar's release has caused pain and distress to those who lost family and friends on 7 July 2005, the Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend, the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke) raised the importance of providing an explanation of what lay behind this decision with US officials during his visit to Washington on 23 February 2011.

Palestinians: Embassies

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will upgrade the Palestinian General Delegation in London to a diplomatic mission.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of the steps that some other EU states have taken to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Delegations in their capitals. The Palestinians have made the same request to the UK, which we are considering in accordance with our long standing support for Palestinian state building.
	The Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964 and the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987 confer diplomatic privileges and immunities in the UK on accredited diplomats, their families etc. of other states.
	As the UK does not recognise Palestine as a state, the Palestinian Authority in the UK is not entitled to the privileges and immunities provided for in the United Kingdom Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964 and the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987. These Acts implement the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1964 in UK law, a convention that regulates the diplomatic conduct between states.

Tibet

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to review his policy on Tibet.

Jeremy Browne: The Government recognise Tibet as part of the People's Republic of China. There are no plans to review this policy.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters were discussed during his meeting with the Foreign Minister of Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met the Yemeni Foreign Minister, Dr Al Qirbi, on 1 February 2011. During the meeting they discussed the importance of real progress in the Yemeni process for agreeing key electoral and political reforms-the National Dialogue-and objectives for the forthcoming Friends of Yemen meeting. They also discussed issues of mutual concern such as the events in Egypt and international concerns in Somalia. The Foreign Secretary urged the Yemeni Government to practise restraint and pursue dialogue in the Yemeni handling of demonstrations.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Bill of Rights

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to continue to seek agreement on a Northern Ireland Bill of Rights in addition to a UK Bill of Rights.

Hugo Swire: The Government will continue to examine how best to reach agreement on the issue of supplementary rights for Northern Ireland in addition to any process relating to a UK Bill of Rights.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Criminal Records

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether information on a criminal conviction of a member of the armed forces is automatically passed to the commanding officer concerned.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 16 February 2011
	 Where the offence is purely of a service nature and dealt with by the Service Justice System, the commanding officer will be involved either in hearing the case summarily or being informed of the outcome of courts martial proceedings. Where a criminal conviction is incurred while off duty among the community, and dealt with by the civil authorities, the services are a notifiable occupation in accordance with Home Office circular 06/2006. The Service Police Crime Bureau is the recorded single point of contact for notification under the scheme and has in place a system whereby the commanding officer is formally notified of a conviction.

Armed Forces: Criminal Records

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further powers he plans to give to the Royal Military Police to investigate allegations of serious crimes by individual members of the armed forces.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 16 February 2011
	Within the Armed Forces Bill currently before Parliament there are two clauses that will amend the powers of the service police. The clauses will expand, while retaining the requirement for an application to a judge advocate, those premises the service police may enter and search, and will enable access to excluded material on premises other than relevant residential premises. These amendments will provide the service police with provisions that more closely reflect those that already exist for Home Department police forces.

Armed Forces: Criminal Records

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on giving the Royal Military Police powers to overrule the ability of a commanding officer to prevent the investigation by that force of an allegation of a criminal nature against a member of the armed forces.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 16 February 2011
	Historically, the commanding officer has not had the power to prevent an investigation by the service police once commenced, though the commanding officer did have a power under earlier Acts to dismiss a charge at summary hearing. Since introduction of the Armed Forces Act 2006, the commanding officer has a duty placed upon them to ensure the service police are made aware of serious offences. For other lesser offences, the duty to investigate rests with the commanding officer.

Armed Forces: Finance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the savings to accrue to  (a) his Department's budget and  (b) the budgets of each of the armed forces attributable to (i) current and (ii) planned redundancies.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced significant reductions to both civilian and military personnel as part of the strategic defence and security review. Final savings figures on redundancies will depend on detailed implementation of these reductions, which will include early release and natural wastage, as well as redundancies. All three services are currently working through their redundancy processes and have yet to decide which posts will be made redundant. Estimates are subject to change and the MOD is therefore not prepared to release more detailed figures at this time.

Armed Forces: Food

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average cost was of providing a meal to members of the armed forces  (a) based in Britain,  (b) serving in Afghanistan and  (c) serving in another country in the latest period for which figures are available.

Peter Luff: Armed forces personnel are primarily catered for through outsourced Catering, Retail and Leisure (CRL) contracts which are being introduced across military bases in the UK, Germany and Cyprus. Some 65% of armed forces personnel are catered for under these arrangements, whereby individuals pay for the meals they consume. Contractors are required to offer a core meal, covering breakfast, lunch and dinner, with set calorific and nutritional standards, in line with the prevailing Daily Food Charge, which is currently capped by the Armed Forces Pay Review body at £4.13 per day. Service personnel can, however, choose an alternative retail offering if they prefer.
	As part of a CRL contract, the contractor will customarily receive what is known as the Service Provision Payment (SPP), which covers the costs of the civilian labour required to deliver the service, which the Ministry of Defence would otherwise have to provide. SPP varies from contract to contract, the competitions for which are run at individual unit, or group of units' level.
	For armed forces personnel stationed in bases not currently covered by CRL arrangements, including those serving on operations and overseas exercises, Daily Messing Rates (DMRs) apply. DMRs are the cost of ingredients based upon bespoke ration scales; these rates are adjusted quarterly to reflect food cost inflation and are currently set as follows:
	
		
			  Location  Daily Messing Rate 
			 UK (£) 2.36 
			 Falkland and Ascension Islands (£) 2.88 
			 Afghanistan (Operation Herrick) (£) 3.89 
			 Germany (on exercise) (€) 4.35 
			 Cyprus (on exercise) (€) 4.30 
		
	
	These amounts cover the provision of three meals a day but exclude the cost of logistics, which for locations such as Afghanistan is significant-for financial year 2009-10, the cost of food provided to personnel in Afghanistan was £17.944 million while the associated Logistical Operating Costs excluding contractor's profit was £46.595 million.
	The corresponding figures for non-deployed personnel not covered by CRL arrangements were £50.440 million for food and £15.994 million for logistical operating costs.

Ballistic Missile Defence: Costs

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the UK of the NATO share of the contribution to the US missile defence system.

Gerald Howarth: In November 2010 Alliance members agreed that they would develop a NATO Ballistic Missile Defence capability, of which the US missile defence system will form an important part. The cost of developing the NATO system is estimated to be between €864-928 million over 10 years. The UK currently contributes 11.5% to the NATO Security Investment Programme, from which this capability is funded.

Departmental Procurement

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the likely savings to his Department through contract renegotiations over the comprehensive spending review period;
	(2)  how much money his Department has saved as a result of contract renegotiations since May 2010.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently examining 130 contracts relating to the strategic defence and security review (SDSR) decisions, which is expected to increase to some 500 contracts in due course. We expect the process of renegotiating these contracts to take around 18 months.
	The MOD has made estimates of the cost savings that will accrue from contractual renegotiations, and from other measures in the SDSR, for the purposes of formulating policy. Some of these estimates have been published to help inform the public debate. Release of further detail may prejudice commercial interests. Final savings figures will depend on detailed implementation, which will generally be subject to full consultation with all relevant parties, including the trade unions and the devolved Administrations, as well as the results of mandatory assessments on the impact that the measures will have on sustainability, equality and diversity and health and safety. I am, therefore, not prepared to release more detailed information at present.

India: Official Visits

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology had on the Arms Trade Treaty with ministers and officials of the Indian government on his recent visit to that country.

Peter Luff: None.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to answer question 37369, on regulations removed by his Department, tabled on 26 January 2011 for answer on 31 January.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 February 2011,  Official Report, column 75W.

TREASURY

Private Rented Housing: Fines

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer from the Secretary of State for Scotland of 17 February 2011,  Official Report, column 893W, on private rented housing: fines, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on the use of funds received from fines rendered against private landlords in Scotland.

Justine Greening: As the Secretary of State for Scotland replied on 17 February 2011,  Official Report, column 893W, I have recently written to the Scottish Minister for Housing and Communities on this matter. While policy on the Scottish private rented sector is a devolved matter for the Scottish Government, there are currently no plans to change the public spending treatment of fine income.

Public Sector: Land

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the  (a) monetary value,  (b) quantity in hectares and  (c) number of locations of surplus public sector land; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government has not made a recent estimate of the monetary value of surplus public sector land. Asset valuations are kept by each land owner. The Register of Surplus Public Sector Land (the Register) is maintained by Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) on behalf of the Department.
	In mid-February 2011, the Register contained details of 909 sites covering 8,118 hectares owned by the participating public sector organisations. Individual locations can be viewed on the HCA website at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/Surplus_public_sector_land

EDUCATION

Children's Centres: Finance

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what plans he has for the future level of funding to Sure Start Children's Centres;
	(2)  what plans he has for  (a) short-term,  (b) medium-term and  (c) long-term funding for Sure Start Children's Centres.

Sarah Teather: Funding for Sure Start Children's Centres will be maintained in cash terms over the next spending review period, including investment in health visitors. Funding for Sure Start Children's Centres forms part of the new Early Intervention Grant, which is worth £2,222,555,697 in 2011-12 and £2,307,196,996 in 2012-13. It is for local authorities to determine the most effective use of this money, but the grant ensures there is enough funding in the system to maintain the network of children's centres.

Free Schools: Yorkshire and the Humber

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications his Department has received from  (a) individuals and  (b) groups in (i) North Yorkshire and (ii) York to establish a free school.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has received one proposal to date from a group in North Yorkshire and one proposal from a group in York. No proposals have been received to date from individuals in either local authority area.

Schools: Admissions

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanism he plans to put in place to handle complaints regarding school admissions after the implementation of his proposal to remove the requirement for local authorities to establish an admissions forum.

Nick Gibb: We believe that the vast majority of schools want to operate their admissions in a fair and open manner. Where there are issues, parents can, and do, discuss them directly with the schools themselves and this often resolves the issue before a formal complaint is necessary. Where informal dialogue cannot resolve the issue, parents and others can object about admission arrangements to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator, who will independently review the matter. His determinations are binding on both parties. In future the Schools Adjudicator will consider complaints for all schools, including Academies and Free Schools, ensuring that the route of formal complaint for parents is simpler.

Schools: Sports

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what the status of existing agreements between his Department and school sports partnerships will be where funding for partnerships is withdrawn; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the status of existing agreements between schools and school sports partnerships will be where funding for partnerships is withdrawn; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 31 January 2011
	School sport partnerships are groups of schools that work together on physical education and sport; they do not have separate legal status. The Department pays an annual grant with 450 secondary schools who agree to act as 'hubs' for the schools in a partnership and who receive additional funding for a 'partnership development manager'. The Department is in the process of finalising the grant for the financial year 2010-11 with the hub schools. This agreement will cover expenditure of around £114 million in 2010-11. The hub schools make subsequent agreements with the other schools in their partnership, on the basis of the Department's agreement with them. The Department wrote to the hub schools in October 2010 to say that the terms and conditions for this year would be changing, that schools would have new flexibility over how they spend the grant on PE and sport, and that funding beyond March 2011 was not guaranteed. The hub schools will have taken this into account in making further agreements with other schools. The Department has subsequently announced, in December 2010, that the final payment of school sport partnership grant in February 2011 will cover most costs through to the end of the summer term 2011. The additional flexibility that schools have in spending this considerable investment should mean that they can embed the good practice of the previous Administration's PE and sport strategy, as well as run more competitive sport for all pupils. The complexity, lack of transparency, and administrative demands on schools of this payment system set up by the previous Administration are part of the reason that we have decided not to continue with it. Schools will remain able to organise competitive sport in partnerships in future, if they wish.

Schools: Sports

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average number of sports was to which pupils in  (a) secondary schools and  (b) specialist sports colleges had access in each year since 2005.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 11 February 2011
	Information on sports provision has been published annually in the PE and Sport Survey. This survey shows the average number of sports provided in secondary schools in a school year. There is no breakdown for specialist sports colleges, or for secondary schools before 2006/07. This survey question does not cover the quality of each sport provided, nor the amount played during a year, nor the number of pupils who played.
	2006/07: 21.7
	2007/08: 22.3
	2008/09: 25.0
	2009/10: 25.6

Sure Start Programme: Walsall

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future allocation of funding for Sure Start services in Walsall South constituency.

Sarah Teather: Sure Start will be maintained in cash terms over the next spending review period, including new investment in health visitors through Department of Health budgets. Funding for Sure Start will form part of the new Early Intervention Grant. There is enough money in the Early Intervention Grant to retain a network of Sure Start Children's Centres, whilst ensuring all children's centres focus on supporting families in greatest need. Details about the Early Intervention Grant were announced on 13 December as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Secretary of State wrote to local authorities with details of this announcement. A copy of this letter, including indicative allocations to individual local authorities, has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Constituencies

William Bain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Electoral Commission on the estimated cost to the public purse for each Parliamentary Boundary Commission of conducting parliamentary boundary reviews every five years.

Mark Harper: I have not discussed this matter with the Electoral Commission. The Parliamentary Boundary Commissions are responsible for conducting parliamentary boundary reviews.

General Elections

William Bain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Electoral Commission on the potential cost to the public purse of introducing the alternative vote electoral system for the 2015 General Election;
	(2)  what discussions he has held with the Electoral Commission on guidance for the counting by hand of ballot papers cast in elections conducted under the alternative vote system.

Mark Harper: The Government have not had discussions of the costs of implementing the Alternative Vote system or on guidance for the counting of ballot papers under the Alternative Vote with the Electoral Commission.

Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

Peter Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many amendments were tabled to the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill in each House; and how many amendments proposed by hon. Members who are not members of the Government were accepted.

Mark Harper: The Bill Team's records show that 1,169 amendments were tabled during the passage of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, 614 of which were tabled during the House of Commons stages of the Bill, 544 during the Bill's passage through the House of Lords and 11 during Commons Consideration of Lords Amendments and Lords Consideration of Commons Amendments.
	The Government accepted two amendments tabled by Lord Rooker, which provided that the referendum would be held on 5 May 2011, subject to an alternative date, which must be before 31 October 2011, being set by the Minister tabling an Order. The Government also accepted an amendment by Lord Rennard which allows the Boundary Commissions to take into account existing constituencies when drawing new boundaries, an amendment by Lord Brooke which allows the Boundary Commission for England to take into account the boundaries of the City of London and an amendment by Lord Phillips enabling the Chief Counting Officer to take steps to facilitate co-operation between the Regional Counting Officers, counting officers and registration officers for the purpose of encouraging participation in the referendum.
	In addition, the Government made a number of amendments in response to the recommendations of Select Committees and other bodies or to reflect debates on amendments tabled by non-Government Members of both Houses. These include changing the wording of the referendum question in response to recommendations made by the Electoral Commission, amending the rules on spending limits applying to the media and removing the Minister's power to modify the reports of the Boundary Commissions in response to proposals put forward by the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, and amending the boundary review process to include public hearings in response to debate on an amendment tabled by Baroness D'Souza, the Convenor of the Crossbench Peers. In addition, following discussions with Lord Williamson and other Opposition and Crossbench peers, the Government introduced an amendment providing for a review of the impact of reducing the number of MPs to take place after the 2015 general election.
	Finally, having listened to the views of Members of both Houses, the Government accepted the principle in Lord Fowler's amendment that constituencies on the Isle of Wight should not include parts of the mainland. The Government therefore tabled an amendment to this effect at Commons Consideration of Lords Amendments.

Public Bills

Natascha Engel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the benefits to the legislative process of public reading stages for bills.

George Young: I have been asked to reply.
	The public reading stage will improve public engagement with Parliament by giving individuals a chance to participate in the legislative process and improve the quality of legislation by taking into account the views of those who might otherwise not contribute. The current pilot public reading of the Protection of Freedoms Bill will provide the basis for a further assessment of the merits of the process.

Public Bills

Natascha Engel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proposals he has for the  (a) minimum and  (b) maximum amount of time for public reading stages of Bills.

George Young: I have been asked to reply.
	Public reading stage will normally begin when a Bill is published and end in time for the points raised by members of the public to be taken into account during proceedings in the Public Bill Committee.

CABINET OFFICE

Small Businesses: Procurement

Adam Holloway: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to make Government procurement simpler for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Oliver Letwin: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Security

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will permit UK airports to determine their own security procedures for air crew.

Theresa Villiers: Airports need to comply with the relevant European and domestic regulatory requirements, which currently contain a number of detailed processes. However, this does not prevent airports from determining some processes at a local level.
	The Department for Transport is exploring how the UK's domestic requirements might be delivered via a more outcome-focused, risk-based regime, which would give airports more flexibility to determine local processes for delivering aviation security. A public consultation on this issue will be launched in due course.

Cycling: Brighton

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has had discussions with Cycling England on the proposal of Brighton and Hove city council to remove cycle lanes funded by Cycling England.

Norman Baker: Neither the Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), nor I have had discussions with Cycling England on the proposal of Brighton and Hove city council to remove cycle lanes funded by Cycling England, but I understand they area following up the issue with Brighton and hove council.

Railways: Scotland

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on new high speed rail services.

Philip Hammond: The Minister of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers), met with the then Scottish Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson MSP, in November 2010 and discussed high speed rail links to Scotland. HS2 Ltd has also had a number of meetings with the Scottish Government. I also have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Scotland on this issue.

Shipping: Oil

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents involving oil spillage during ship-to-ship transfers of oil off the UK coastline have been recorded in each year since 2000.

Michael Penning: Detailed records have been maintained of ship-to-ship transfers conducted outside harbour authority areas since 2008, which coincides with the beginning of the increase in this ship-to-ship transfer activity.
	During that time, 767 ship-to-ship transfers have been undertaken in UK waters outside harbour authority areas, with no spills recorded.

Trams

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make an announcement on the tram-train pilot.

Norman Baker: I have been considering an initial business case for the Sheffield to Rotherham tram train pilot proposal and expect to make an announcement shortly.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Interpreters

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport for which services provided by  (a) his Department and  (b) its associated public bodies, interpreters provide services in a language or languages other than English; how many interpreters are employed or subcontracted for each non-English language; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of interpretation costs incurred in the latest period for which figures are available.

John Penrose: No interpreters have been used by the Department in the last financial year.
	The Department does not collate this information for its agency or arm's length bodies. Accordingly, I have asked their chief executives to write to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many  (a) actual and  (b) full-time equivalent staff have left his Department's employment since May 2010.

John Penrose: Since May 2010,  (a) 48 actual and  (b) 38.5 full-time equivalent staff have left the Department.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many  (a) actual and  (b) full-time equivalent staff his Department employed on the latest date for which figures are available.

John Penrose: As at 28 February the Department employed  (a) 462 actual and  (b) 447 full-time equivalent staff.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many  (a) actual and  (b) full-time equivalent staff were employed by his Department in May 2010.

John Penrose: As at 31 May 2010 the Department employed  (a) 481 actual and  (b) 462 full-time equivalent staff.

Gambling

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the cost to the public purse of the Gambling Prevalence Survey 2010 was; whether his Department plans to provide funding for its continuance in the future; and whether he expects the gambling industry to fund future prevalence studies in addition to existing funding arrangements.

John Penrose: The cost to produce the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2010 and its distribution was approximately £560,000 funded through grant in aid provided to the Gambling Commission by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Following the 2010 spending review, all grant in aid funding provided to the Gambling Commission has been discontinued.
	The Government intend to continue collecting and publishing information on gambling prevalence and problem gambling in future. The Commission is currently consulting on future methods and funding sources, including direct and indirect industry contributions.

Gambling

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the  (a) achievements and  (b) costs of the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board and the mechanism for distributing funds raised voluntarily by the industry to fund research, education and treatment; if he will assess the effects of the board's work; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: The Responsible Gambling Strategy Board receives annual funding of £250,000 from the Gambling Commission. It has made steady progress on a national strategy for research, education and treatment, but it is too early to make a full assessment of the mechanism for distributing funds raised by the industry.

Gambling

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether an impact assessment has been conducted by  (a) his Department and  (b) the Gambling Commission of the potential costs to the industry of establishing a new problem gambling helpline.

John Penrose: Neither the Department nor the Gambling Commission has assessed the impact of establishing a new problem gambling helpline, because the costs will not be finally known until the tender is complete. The decision to tender for such a service rests with the Responsible Gambling Fund (RGF), an independent charity accountable to its trustees.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Citizens' Advice Bureaux: Wales

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of citizens advice bureaux that are likely to close in  (a) Wales and  (b) Aberavon constituency as a result of the outcomes of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Edward Davey: I can confirm that although a number of bureaux in Wales are currently expecting some cut to their core funding from their local authority, none are expecting to close as a result.
	Many bureaux have yet to receive confirmation of their core funding but all are in contact with their funders and none of these are currently expecting any severe cuts.
	In terms of Aberavon constituency the core funding from Neath Port Talbot county council to the service is expected to be reduced by 1.7% (as yet unconfirmed) which reflects the cut which has been faced by the county across its budget. Neath and Port Talbot bureaux are currently undergoing a merger and see this as a way of strengthening their services for the future.

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2011,  Official Report, column 737W, on departmental procurement, for what reasons the information requested on single tender contracts is not held centrally.

Edward Davey: The Department's central finance system does not record this information. Payments are recorded on a transactional basis.

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons persons not employed by Government departments or agencies are issued with passes entitling them to enter his Department's premises.

Edward Davey: Passes are issued to those who have a need to enter the building in order to ensure the efficient running of the Department. Some functions are provided by staff who are employed by a contractor rather than directly by the Department or an agency. Such persons include specialist consultants, building maintenance staff, IT support, restaurant staff, cleaners and security guards. The pass is only issued following security checks.

Drugs: India

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2011,  Official Report, column 381W, on trade: India, what evidence has been provided to his Department on the effects that the inclusion of data exclusively on patented and off-patent medicines in the EU-India free trade agreement would have on the supply of affordable generic drugs in  (a) India and  (b) other developing countries.

Edward Davey: Evidence of the likely impact of the potential inclusion of data exclusivity in the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on supply of affordable generic drugs has been provided to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) from civil society groups, including Médecins Sans Frontières and Oxfam, and representative bodies, including the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. BIS holds regular stakeholder consultations on FTAs. The Intellectual Property Office has written to both industry and the non-governmental organisation NGOs to request them to submit evidence. Officials have met with NGOs and industry to discuss a range of issues, including data exclusivity.
	We have also examined relevant academic research and the EU and Indian positions. The European Commission has produced an impact assessment for this FTA which can be found at
	http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2009/june/tradoc_143372.pdf
	The EU and India's negotiations are ongoing and we continue to welcome further submissions.

Export Credit Guarantees

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which contracts entered into by UK companies in  (a) Bahrain,  (b) Democratic Republic of Congo,  (c) Egypt,  (d) Libya and  (e) Saudi Arabia the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) has supported in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value of claims made on ECGD guarantees was in each such country in each such year.

Edward Davey: ECGD supported export contracts in each of the following countries:
	
		
			   Market  Exporter  Obligor  Project  Amount (£ million) 
			 2010-11 Egypt Airbus S.A.S. Egypt Air Airbus aircraft 38.6 
			   Rolls-Royce plc  Rolls-Royce engines 6.3 
			   
			 2009-10 Bahrain Airbus S.A.S. Gulf Air Company Airbus aircraft 41.5 
			   
			 2008-09 Egypt Fira International Ltd. Ministry of Trade and Industry Furniture testing technical centre 0.3 
			  Saudi Arabia Hawker Beechcraft Inc. National Air Services Corporate jets 4.9 
			   Fluor Ltd. and other UK exporters Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Company Kayan Petrochemical Complex 247 
			   
			 2007-08 Saudi Arabia BAE Systems Ministry of Defence and Aviation Defence exports 750 
			   
			 2006-07 Saudi Arabia BAE Systems Ministry of Defence and Aviation Defence exports 750 
			  Saudi Arabia Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd. Yanbu National Petrochemical Company Yansab Petrochemical Project 44.8 
			   Fluor Ltd.   76.9 
		
	
	ECGD has not supported exports to the Democratic Republic of Congo or Libya in the last five years.
	ECGD paid a claim of £4.1 million in 2008-09 in respect of an export transaction to Saudi Arabia. No claims have been paid on Bahrain, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt or Libya.

Intellectual Property and Growth Review

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  when he expects to publish the final report of the independent review of intellectual property and growth;
	(2)  if he will consult on the findings and recommendations of the independent review of the intellectual property and growth before issuing a response.

Edward Davey: The review is scheduled to report to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Chancellor of the Exchequer by the end of April. The Government will then consider the appropriate course of action in the light of its recommendations.

Intellectual Property and Growth Review

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which officials accompanied Professor Ian Hargreaves on his visit to the USA undertaken as part of the independent review of intellectual property and growth.

Edward Davey: Professor Hargreaves was accompanied by the head of the civil service team which supports the review and two other members of the team.

Intellectual Property and Growth Review

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of Professor Hargreaves' visit to the US undertaken as part of the independent review of intellectual property and growth.

Edward Davey: The cost is approximately £7,600.

Intellectual Property and Growth Review

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who Professor Ian Hargreaves met during his visit to the US undertaken as part of the independent review of intellectual property and growth.

Edward Davey: During his visit to the US, Professor Hargreaves met with members of the following organisations: Duke University; Electronic Arts; Facebook; Google; Harvard University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the Motion Picture Association of America; the National Academies; NBC Universal; Neurosky; News Corporation; Novak, Druce and Quigg; Onlive; Osborne Clark; Pond Ventures; Quid; the office of the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; Sony Pictures Entertainment; Silicon Valley Bank; SRI International; Stanford University; Time Warner; the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; the US Department of Commerce; the US Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator; the US Patent and Trademark Office; Viacom; Walt Disney Company; Yahoo!; Yelp; Zynga. In addition, officials accompanying Professor Hargreaves also met with members of Carnegie Mellon University; Greenberg Traurig; New York Law School; New Atlantic Ventures; Red Hat; the US Copyright Office.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Agriculture

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the representation of the agricultural sector in local enterprise partnerships; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: As set out in the White Paper on Local Growth, the Government will normally expect to see business representatives form half the board, with a prominent business leader in the chair. We would also expect business board members to be representative of key sectors in their area but it will be for partnerships themselves to determine their priorities for representation of particular sectors.

Postal Services: Leeds

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the operations of the new machinery in the Royal Mail sorting offices in Leeds.

Edward Davey: The effectiveness and performance of new machinery in sorting offices is an operational matter for Royal Mail.
	I have therefore asked the chief executive of Royal Mail, Moya Greene, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Radio Frequencies

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that sufficient radio spectrum is made available to support the development and deployment of machine-to-machine communications technologies for the purposes of applications including smart cities, advanced automotive systems and smart energy grids.

Mark Prisk: In the first instance, Ofcom has the powers to make spectrum available for use if that spectrum is not already available through the market. If private demand is not sufficient to acquire the spectrum, Government policy is that if spectrum is required to achieve Government policy goals, then Departments are expected to try and acquire this through the market. Should Departments be unable to acquire spectrum through the market, then there is a process in place which Departments can access.

Strode College: Prisons

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reason the single contract held by Strode College in relation to 13 prisons was replaced by two separate contracts; for what reasons one of the contracts was not awarded to Strode College; and for what reasons no feedback was offered to Strode College on that decision.

John Hayes: This information is held by the Skills Funding Agency.
	I have asked the chief executive of Skills Funding, Geoff Russell, to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.

Trade Agreements

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress has been made on the liberalisation of trade in climate-friendly goods through the Doha Development Agenda Environmental Goods and Services negotiations.

Edward Davey: The Doha round remains the UK Government's overarching trade priority, and we will continue to work closely with our EU and international partners to try to secure a deal in 2011.
	Since the Seoul G20 summit last year, the Doha round of trade negotiations have intensified. The liberalisation of trade in environmentally friendly goods and services is an important part of the negotiations, but progress has been incremental. Bilateral and small group meetings will take place this month to try to accelerate progress.

Venture Capital

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what future plans he has to encourage venture capital investments.

Mark Prisk: The Government's Green Paper "Financing Business Growth", published in November 2010 set out a comprehensive package of measures to support small business access to finance. This included £200 million for the Enterprise Capital Fund programme over the next four years to deliver £300 million of venture capital investment into small, innovative businesses in the UK. This additional investment will build on the existing Enterprise Capital Fund programme and the UK Innovation and Investment Fund of funds which are still investing; as well as venture capital and loan funds in the English regions totalling c.£450 million to December 2015.
	"Financing Business Growth" also committed Government to ensuring the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts continue to meet their objective of incentivising investment in small companies, in particular encouraging more business angels to utilise these tax incentives.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Her Majesty's Treasury are working together on the access to finance strand of the Growth Review, including exploring further measures to improve the contribution of venture capital to the funding of small, high-growth UK businesses.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Pay

Caroline Flint: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the House of Commons Commission will take steps to ensure that the published organisational chart for the House of Commons Service includes the names and responsibilities of all staff paid over £58,200 per annum.

John Thurso: The Commission publishes organisational charts of the House of Commons Service, and of individual House departments and PICT, in its annual report, available from the Vote Office and on the parliamentary website. There are currently no plans to alter the scope of these organisational charts.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Common Agricultural Policy

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the reform of the common agricultural policy; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The Secretary of State recently attended Agriculture Council where she met the Agriculture Commissioner and a number of EU Agriculture Ministers, to discuss reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP). The UK is continuing to work with the European Commission, Parliament and member states to ensure ambitious reform of the CAP which will deliver good value for farmers, taxpayers, consumers and the environment.

Dairy Farming

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to develop potential for commercial success in the dairy industry; what recent discussions she has had with dairy industry representatives on her Department's support for the industry; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: We are working with the UK dairy industry to increase its commercial success in several ways. During the last month I have met privately and publicly with farming and processor representatives. On Thursday 20 January, I chaired the Dairy Supply Chain Forum which includes representation through the supply chain from farming to retail and foodservice.
	We have reinvigorated the Forum, challenging key representatives to address issues and opportunities through clear strategies, whether for the internal market or exports, to secure the long term sustainability of the industry and of British milk supply
	We are urging engagement in and supporting industry-led sustainability initiatives which should build upon the success of the Milk Roadmap.
	We are engaged in negotiations on the Commission Dairy proposal which is a good opportunity to enhance producer bargaining power, but to ensure UK dairy's competitiveness we would prefer that this is in line with existing competition law.
	We are working with BIS to bring in the Bill establishing the Groceries Code Adjudicator to ensure that large retailers cannot abuse power by transferring excessive risks or unexpected costs onto their suppliers.

Fisheries: Casualties

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fishermen have been reported as  (a) lost and  (b) injured at sea in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: I have been asked to reply.
	Fatalities and injuries to crew of UK registered fishing vessels occurring at sea in each of the last five years, that have been reported to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, are:
	
		
			   Fatalities  Injuries 
			 2006 13 48 
			 2007 7 49 
			 2008 5 49 
			 2009 10 50 
			 2010 5 36 
		
	
	These figures exclude fatalities and injuries which have occurred on fishing vessels in ports and harbours. 2010 data are provisional.

Food: Labelling

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps she has taken to improve the accuracy of food labelling; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The UK has been actively involved in EU negotiations on a new regulation for food labelling. Our aim has been to ensure there is clarity in food labelling for consumers, especially on country of origin labelling. A common position was reached on the text at the EU Agriculture Council in February. Discussions on this dossier are ongoing. Any changes to the labelling provisions would not be in place until early 2012.
	In the meantime, we have been working with key food sector bodies to facilitate voluntary industry agreements to provide more and clearer labelling information.

Forestry Commission: Land

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to take steps to ensure that  (a) public rights of way in and  (b) access for (i) walkers, (ii) horse riders and (iii) cyclists to woods and forests managed by the Forestry Commission will not be affected under any proposed ownership arrangements.

James Paice: The consultation on the future of the Public Forest Estate has been halted and all forestry clauses in the Public Bodies Bill will be removed. An independent panel of experts will now examine forestry policy in England and report back to Ministers in the autumn.

Forests

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sites of special scientific interest there are in forests in England owned by  (a) the Forestry Commission and  (b) private owners (i) in total and (ii) per 100,000 hectares of forest under each category of ownership.

James Paice: holding answer 8 February 2011
	The Forestry Commission manages 67,615 hectares of sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) on the public forest estate in England. Of these, 41,406 hectares are classified as woodland SSSIs. The remaining 26,209 hectares comprise a wide range of open habitat such as moorland, heathland, bogs, fens, open water, coastal landslip and cliff.
	The total area of woodland SSSI in England outside the Forestry Commission's management is 75,994 hectares.
	The area of woodland on the public forest estate in England is 199,000 hectares and non-Forestry Commission woodland is 931,000 hectares. This means that there are approximately 21,000 hectares of SSSI per 100,000 hectares of woodland on the public forest estate and approximately 8,000 hectares of SSSI per 100,000 hectares of woodland under other ownership.

Forests

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the Forestry Commission staff consultation referred to by the hon. Member for Wakefield on 2 February 2011,  Official Report, column 929.

James Paice: holding answer 8 February 2011
	I have placed a copy of the Forestry Commission's staff consultation in the House Library.

Forests

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  for what reasons  (a) Rendlesham Forest and  (b) Dunmid Forest have been designated small commercial forests in her Department's consultation paper on forestry;
	(2)  if she will provide a more detailed description of the model used to assess category of woodland referred to in her Department's consultation paper, the Future of the Public Forest Estate in England.

James Paice: The consultation on the future of the Public Forest Estate has been halted and all forestry clauses in the Public Bodies Bill will be removed. An independent panel of experts will now examine forestry policy in England and report back to Ministers in the autumn.

Forests: Biodiversity

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to manage  (a) existing rights to public access and  (b) biodiversity in forests in England in respect of her proposals to sell land managed by the Forestry Commission in England; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: holding answer 9 February 2011
	The consultation on the future of the Public Forest Estate has been halted and all forestry clauses in the Public Bodies Bill will be removed. An independent panel of experts will now examine forestry policy in England and report back to Ministers in the autumn.

Gangmasters: Licensing

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any companies which were compliant with Gangmasters Licensing Authority regulations were required to cease operations because they were unable to afford the cost of licensing in the last five years.

James Paice: Figures are not available on the number of gangmasters who cease trading owing to the cost of a Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) licence.
	While the GLA keeps records of licence holders in the regulated sectors who do not renew their licence, including whether they have ceased trading, it does not collect information on the reasons why a licence is not renewed.

Special Areas of Conservation

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration her Department has given to the evidence and advice on the  (a) Lyme Bay and Torbay and  (b) Prawle Point to Plymouth Sound candidate Special Area of Conservation.

Richard Benyon: The scientific basis for the selection of Lyme Bay and Torbay, and Prawle Point to Plymouth Sound and Eddystone possible Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), were the subject of public consultation by Natural England, one of the Department's statutory advisors on nature conservation. Following this, Natural England advised DEFRA that these two sites met the criteria set out in the Habitats Directive for submission to the European Commission as candidate SACs. The advice was accepted by DEFRA and, following clearance within Government, the sites were submitted to the Commission in August 2010.
	Decisions to submit candidate Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to the European Commission are supported by scientific evidence and advice provided by our statutory nature conservation bodies following public consultation. To help inform DEFRA of this process, its chief scientific adviser is commissioning an independent case study review to look at some examples relating to the selection of candidate/possible SACs. The review will consider the following case studies: Lyme Bay and Torbay, and Prawle Point to Plymouth Sound and Eddystone candidate SACs, and Prawle Point to Start Point possible SAC. The case study review will look at the evidence, advice and processes, as well as the Government's evaluation of such information.

Supermarkets: Competition

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has met the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to discuss her proposals to establish a groceries code adjudicator.

James Paice: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with her opposite number in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on a range of topical issues, which includes the establishment of a groceries code adjudicator to monitor and enforce the groceries supply code of practice.
	The Secretary of State has not discussed the specific powers and functions of the groceries code adjudicator, which were the subject of a Department for Business, Innovation and Skills consultation exercise last year. The Government published their response to the consultation on 3 August 2010, announcing their decision on these powers and functions.

Trapping

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2011,  Official Report, column 710W, on trapping 
	(1)  what the outcome was of the 39 of the 88 animals used in the trial that were not injured or killed;
	(2)  how many animals of each species were used in her Department's trial; how many were used  (a) in pen trials and  (b) in field work; and what the outcome was for each of these animals.

James Paice: holding answer 28 February 2011
	It would not be appropriate to release results or partial results of the research project "Determining the extent of use and humaneness of snares in England and Wales" prior to the project being peer-reviewed and finalised.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departmental Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what regulations his Department introduced between 22 November 2010 and 8 February 2011.

Chris Grayling: The information is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  SI number  SI title  Made  Laid  Coming into force 
			 2010/2818 The Rate of Bereavement Benefits Regulations 2010 22 November 2010 29 November 2010 1 November 2011 
			 2010/2835 The Housing Benefit (Amendment) Regulations 2010 24 November 2010 30 November 2010 1 April 2011 
			 2010/2862 The Disabled People's Right to Control (Pilot Scheme) (England) Regulations 2010 29 November 2010 12 October 2010 13 December 2010 1 March 2011 1 April 2011 
			 2011/100 The Social Fund Maternity Grant Amendment Regulations 2011 19 January 2011 20 January 2011 24 January 2011 
			 2011/228 The Employment and Support Allowance (Limited Capability for Work and Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 8 February 2011 16 February 2011 28 March 2011

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many bids for Work Programme prime contracts he has received for each Contract Package area.

Chris Grayling: The deadline for bidding organisations to submit tenders for the Work Programme was 10am on 14 February 2011. The Department for Work and Pensions has received 177 tenders from 30 organisations.
	The following table gives details of the contract package areas and the number of tenders received.
	
		
			  Contract package area (CPA)  Contract package area name  Tenders received 
			 CPA1 East of England 9 
			 CPA 2 East Midlands 9 
			 CPA 3 London (1) 8 
			 CPA 4 London (2) 11 
			 CPA 5 North East 8 
			 CPA 6 North West (1) 12 
			 CPA 7 North West (2) 13 
			 CPA 8 Scotland 7 
			 CPA 9 South East (1) 10 
			 CPA 10 South East (2) 10 
			 CPA 11 South West (1) 10 
			 CPA 12 South West (2) 12 
			 CPA 13 Wales 7 
			 CPA 14 West Midlands (1) 12 
			 CPA 15 West Midlands (2) 6 
			 CPA 16 Yorkshire and the Humber (1) 13 
			 CPA 17 Yorkshire and the Humber (2) 12 
			 CPA 18 Yorkshire and the Humber (3) 8 
			 Total  177

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of tenants of working age in receipt of housing benefit who were under-occupying their social rented property by  (a) one bedroom or more,  (b) two bedrooms or more and  (c) three bedrooms or more in each region in the latest period for which information is available.

Steve Webb: On 16 February 2011 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) produced an impact assessment entitled "Under-occupation of social housing", coinciding with the publication of the Welfare Reform Bill. The impact assessment included estimates of the number of working age housing benefit recipients living in social housing, under-occupying their home by one bedroom or more in each region and who were likely to be affected by the introduction of the size criteria in social-rented housing.
	The impact assessment can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf
	The Family Resources Survey provides information on the characteristics of housing benefit recipients under occupying their accommodation. However, the survey is not large enough to yield reliable estimates of the number of tenants of working age in receipt of housing benefit who were under-occupying their social-rented property by two bedrooms or more (part b) and three bedrooms or more (part c) in each region.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of widows and widowers in social rented housing who are of working age and on housing benefit and who were under-occupying their home in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The Family Resources Survey provides information on the characteristics of housing benefit recipients under occupying their accommodation. However, the survey is not large enough to yield reliable estimates of the number of widows and widowers living in social-rented housing who are of working age, in receipt of housing benefit and who are under occupying their home.
	On 16 February 2011 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) produced an impact assessment entitled "Under-occupation of social housing", coinciding with the publication of the Welfare Reform Bill. The impact assessment included estimates of the number of working age housing benefit recipients living in social housing, under-occupying their home and who were likely to be affected by the introduction of the size criteria in social-rented housing.
	The impact assessment can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf

Housing Benefit

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to paragraph 34 of his Department's Two Year Review of the local housing allowance, page 111, showing that 45% of non-student, single, under 25s in the private rented sector, with no children and who have not declared any housing benefit receipt live in shared accommodation, what the equivalent figure is for people aged 25 to 34.

Steve Webb: It is estimated that 41% of non-student, single people, aged 25-34, who are renting in the private sector, have no children and have not declared housing benefit receipt are living in shared accommodation.
	 Notes:
	1. Shared accommodation refers to households where there is no clear head, for example unrelated adults sharing a house or flat on an equal basis. This analysis therefore excludes other forms of sharing, for example lodging in an owner-occupied house, or adult children living with their parents.
	2. Housing benefit receipt has been analysed at household level, so some individuals not claiming housing benefit, but sharing accommodation with benefit claimants, have been treated as if they are in receipt. Only a small proportion of non-recipients share accommodation with claimants, so this does not have a significant impact on the estimate.
	3. "Private renting" includes both furnished and unfurnished tenancies, but excludes rent free cases.
	4. The Family Resources Survey is a nationally representative sample of approximately 23,000 households in Great Britain. Data for 2008-09 was collected between April 2008 and March 2009.
	5. The Family Resources Survey is known to under-record benefit receipt so the estimates presented should be treated with caution.
	6. The figures from the Family Resources Survey are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the Family Resources Survey to Government Office Region population by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error.
	7. Figures have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.
	 Source:
	DWP analysis of 2008-09 Family Resources Survey

Housing Benefit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the savings to his Department from the changes to rules on properties in respect of which housing benefit claimants aged between 25 and 35 are entitled to claim benefit in each of the next four financial years.

Steve Webb: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Estimated savings from extending the shared accommodation rate to age 35 
			   Estimated savings (£ million, cash) 
			 2011-12 0 
			 2012-13 130 
			 2013-14 225 
			 2014-15 215 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are in cash terms, rounded to nearest £5 million. 2. Estimates are as presented in the 2010 spending review. 3. The shared accommodation rate currently applies to single childless claimants under 25. In the 2010 spending review it was announced that from 2012 it will apply to people aged up to 35. There are exemptions for disability and recent care leavers, which will continue to apply.

Housing Benefit: Greater London

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of housing benefit in  (a) Enfield North constituency,  (b) the London borough of Enfield and  (c) London received over £400 a week in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available at parliamentary constituency level. The information for the borough of Enfield and London is presented in the following table.
	
		
			  Housing benefit recipients in October 2010 
			   Numbers who received more than £400 per week 
			 London 9,240 
			 Enfield 70 
			  Notes: 1. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems.  Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract 100% individual level data (SHBE)

Jobcentres: Sanctions

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 21 December 2010,  Official Report, column 1193W, on jobcentres: sanctions what criteria Jobcentre Plus applies to determine those cases which are referred to decision makers for further investigation;
	(2)  what factors are considered by the decision makers in reviewing cases of entitlement to jobseeker's allowance which are referred to them for further consideration.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to reply to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions regarding the criteria Jobcentre Plus applies in order to determine which cases are appropriate for further investigation and the factors considered by the Jobcentre Plus Decision Maker to determine entitlement and whether a sanction is appropriate. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Where an Employment Adviser considers a doubt has arisen regarding an act or omission of a customer which might affect their prospects of employment the advisor will investigate further and ask a Decision Maker, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, to consider whether any action is appropriate. This might include consideration of entitlement to Jobseeker's Allowance or the imposition of a benefit sanction.
	Doubts can arise for a variety of reasons and from a variety of sources including the customer, employers or training providers. Doubts include leaving a job voluntarily; being dismissed from employment due to misconduct; failing to attend an advisory interview; refusing employment; and failure to attend a training scheme or employment programme. The doubt will be discussed with the customer.
	Where we have doubts there are distinct criteria to determine whether customer's entitlement has ceased or a sanction is appropriate. The criteria are set out in the Decision Makers Guide which is published and available on-line from the Department of Work and Pensions. This advice is also reflected in detailed staff guidance to ensure Jobcentre Plus staff are aware of the action to take when such doubts come to their attention.
	The Decision Maker's role is to consider the specific circumstances of the claim in the light of all relevant legislation and case law, taking account of all the individual circumstances of the case and any available information and evidence including that provided by the customer. Where appropriate the Decision Maker will request further information on which to base their decision.
	Examples of the factors used by Decision Makers include the customer's reasons for failing to apply for or accept a suitable vacancy; the requirements of a particular vacancy; a customer's religious or conscientious objection; and the impact of caring responsibilities. The Decision Maker will also give regard to the customer's comments in identifying whether the customer might have good cause for their action or omission. Similarly, the Decision Maker will consider whether a customer had just cause for leaving previous employment voluntarily (i.e. whether they acted reasonably in leaving that employment, or whether the circumstances of their departure justify reliance on public funds).
	I attach a link to the Decision Makers Guide which contains the advice to Decision Makers when dealing with questions of entitlement and sanction.
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/decision-makers-guide/

Pension Credit

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of not increasing the qualifying age for pension credit in line with the state pension age.

Steve Webb: Under existing legislation the qualifying age for pension credit was set to increase from 60 to 65 by 2020 along with women's state pension age under the Pensions Act 1995. The difference to the public purse of continuing to follow this timetable for the qualifying age for pension credit rather than the one proposed in the Pensions Bill 2011 is estimated at £1.7 billion in 2010-11 prices between 2016-17 and 2025-26.

Pensions

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the effect on the monetary value of private pensions of the level of inflation.

Steve Webb: Like other forms of income and/or savings the value of private pensions can be eroded over time by inflation.
	Legislation under the Pension Schemes Act 1993 and the Pensions Act 1995 provides a measure of protection against the effect of inflation on private sector occupational pensions by requiring schemes to increase benefits under defined benefit arrangements year on year, both for pensions in payment and for deferred members who have left the scheme but have yet to start drawing a pension from it.
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required to publish an order each year setting out the percentages to be used to calculate the minimum revaluation of deferred pensions and minimum increases to pensions in payment. By law, these percentages have to be based on the percentage increase in the general level of prices in Great Britain, as determined by the Secretary of State. The latest order was laid before Parliament on 9 December 2010 and came into force on 1 January 2011.
	From this year increases going forward have been calculated using the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). Previous orders used only the Retail Prices Index (RPI) as the basis for calculating the statutory minimum increases.
	This legislation does not apply to personal pensions or defined contribution occupational pensions. In these schemes the individual member can choose the level of inflation protection.
	The impact of inflation on the pensions of individuals will depend on their exact circumstances, the amount of increase provided by the scheme and the level of inflation over the long term but for the purpose of illustration the occupational pension for a single pensioner in receipt of the median occupational pension of £70 per week would increase to £72.17 using CPI inflation as at September 2010.

Pensions: Bradford

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) Bradford East constituency and  (b) Bradford district receive the state pension.

Steve Webb: The information is in the table.
	
		
			   Total number of state pension recipients 
			 Bradford East parliamentary constituency 13,450 
			 Bradford local authority 79,290 
			 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 3. State pension figure provided is the total state pension caseload. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional pension only or graduated retirement benefit only. 4. From April 2010, the age at which women reach state pension age started to gradually increase from 60. This will introduce a small increase to the number of working age benefit recipients and a small reduction to the number of pension age recipients. Figures from May 2010 onwards reflect this change. 5. These data are available on the Departments' tabulation tool at: http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at May 2010.

Social Fund: Television

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2011,  Official Report, column 683W, on Social Fund: television, how many Social Fund  (a) budgeting loans,  (b) crisis loans and  (c) community care grants over the value of (i) £500 and (ii) £1,000 were made in (A) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency and (B) Scotland in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of initial awards made in Scotland in each of the last five years for budgeting loans, crisis loans and community care grants 
			   Initial awards made over £500  Initial awards made over £1,000 
			  Financial year  Budgeting loans  Crisis loans  Community care grants  Budgeting loans  Crisis loans  Community care grants 
			 2005-06 32,410 2,030 12,100 (1)- (1)- 2,500 
			 2006-07 38,050 3,030 12,560 1,100 190 3,060 
			 2007-08 30,660 2,460 12,400 1,280 190 3,450 
			 2008-09 25,590 2,650 11,810 (1)- 210 2,960 
			 2009-10 25,470 4,040 12,750 (1)- 310 2,940 
			 (1) Less than five awards were made.  Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, the numbers given do not include awards processed clerically which had not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. The number of initial awards is not available by constituency, but only by Government Office Region or Jobcentre Plus Social Fund budget area. 3. Scotland has been interpreted as the Government Office Region of that name. 4. Numbers are for initial awards only and do not include awards made after review. 5. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest ten. 6. During 2006-07 and 2007-08 the Budgeting loan baseline amount was at a level which gave a maximum amount which was above £1,000 (for single people or couples with children) in later years this has not been the case. 7. In 2006-07 the maximum loan amount was increased from £1,000 to £1,500 therefore allowing applicants to be awarded loans over the £1,000 level.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, and Budget Management Information System.

Social Security Benefits

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures are in place to assist those who experience delays in benefit payments.

Steve Webb: The Secretary of State can make a discretionary payment, termed an "Interim Payment", when there is a delay in payment and a customer is suffering hardship and it is impracticable for the benefit claim to be decided and paid in the normal way. In addition, a Social Fund Crisis Loan may be available to prevent serious risk to health or safety of anyone in a crisis.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department provides to local authorities wishing to pursue  (a) UK nationals,  (b) A2 nationals and  (c) A8 nationals who are suspected of housing benefit or council tax fraud.

Steve Webb: The Fraud Procedures and Instructions Guidance provides guidance for effective counter fraud investigation to all staff who work on counter fraud activity in DWP and local authorities. This guidance is available on-line (via secure networks) to all local authorities free of charge.
	All claimants irrespective of nationality, who are suspected of housing benefit or council tax fraud, are subject to procedures outlined in this guidance, including A2 and A8 nationals who may be entitled to UK benefits.

Social Security Benefits: Livingston

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken was to process notification of changes of circumstances of benefit claimants  (a) resident in Livingston constituency and  (b) nationally in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	  Letter from Ruth Owen:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what average time was taken to process notification of changes of circumstance of benefit claimants (a) resident in Livingstone constituency and (b) nationally in the latest period for which figures are available. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Darra Singh as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. As Darra Singh is currently on annual leave, I am replying in his absence.
	Jobcentre Plus monitor the average time taken to process changes of circumstance via internal measurement indicators using an Average Actual Clearance Time (AACT) for each benefit.
	AACT measures the average number of working days we take to process changes of circumstance.
	You have asked for details for claimants resident in Livingstone constituency. These are processed by Bathgate Benefit Delivery Centre.
	The table below shows the latest AACT performance for changes of circumstance at both National level and for those processed in Bathgate. We have provided data by month in the current financial year (2010-11).
	
		
			  Changes of circumstance, average actual clearance times 
			  Working days 
			   2010  2011  
			   Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Year to date 
			  National
			 Employment and Support  Allowance 3.4 2.8 2.8 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.3 3.0 4.1 3.2 
			 Incapacity Benefit 4.5 7.1 4.9 3.3 4.2 4.8 3.9 3.5 3.2 3.9 4.3 
			 Income Support 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.1 1.9 1.9 2.0 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 3.6 3.4 3.1 3.0 2.9 2.9 3.1 3.1 2.9 4.2 3.2 
			 
			  Bathgate BDC
			 Employment and Support  Allowance 2.3 2.0 1.8 3.7 1.7 2.7 3.4 2.4 2.9 3.4 2.7 
			 Incapacity Benefit 1.3 1.4 3.5 2.0 1.4 17.3 1.3 5.3 1.1 1.9 3.4 
			 Income Support 3.8 2.5 3.1 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.9 2.7 2.1 2.8 3.1 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 2.2 2.4 2.9 3.2 2.0 2.6 2.3 2.8 2.4 5.1 2.8 
			  Source: Management Information System Programme (MISP) MISP is the departmental performance management, data capture and reporting tool. This type of internal management information does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority's code of practice.

Social Security Benefits: Pensioners

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has undertaken on the merits of using the consumer prices index in uprating benefits for people under pensionable age.

Steve Webb: The Consumer Prices Advisory Committee (CPAC) report released on 3 November 2010 recommended that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) should consider including owner-occupiers' housing costs in the consumer prices index (CPI). This proposed expanded index is referred to as 'CPIH' in the report.
	Two potential approaches to the inclusion of owner-occupiers' housing costs are recommended for development, and the report suggests a programme of work that will take two years to complete.
	We will monitor this work and assess the merits of using CPIH for uprating benefits once it is further developed.

Social Security Benefits: Pensioners

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of benefits and pensions enquiries and applications were made by people aged 65 or over in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The agency does not currently capture pensions enquiries information. In terms of benefits paid, as at May 2010 out of a total of 18.8 million customers receiving DWP benefits, 10.9 million are aged 65 or over (58%).
	 Source:
	May 2010 latest published Work and Pensions longitudinal study

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent assessment is of the merits of reviewing the statutory standards in respect of overcrowding in social housing.

Andrew Stunell: We published on 28 February a summary of responses to our consultation on social housing reform, which includes an assessment of responses to questions on overcrowding. In the light of that consultation, we are proceeding with major reforms to the way social housing is managed, providing local authorities and social landlords with greater freedoms and flexibilities which will enable them to address overcrowding more effectively. The case for reform of overcrowding standards will be considered in the light of the impact of these wider reforms.

Affordable Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps he has taken to increase the provision of family-sized affordable homes.

Grant Shapps: The number and size of Affordable Rent homes delivered will be dependent on agreements between providers and the Homes and Communities Agency, in consultation with local authorities.
	We expect providers of affordable housing and local authorities to work closely to identify the type of provision that will best meet local needs, including where appropriate family sized housing.
	In June 2010 we removed the national minimum density target from Planning Policy Statement 3 (Housing), to give local authorities the flexibility to set density ranges that suit the local needs in their areas - particularly for family houses.

Affordable Housing

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what level of New Homes Bonus will be payable for purpose-built student accommodation.

Grant Shapps: New Homes Bonus will link the level of grant for each additional home by measuring the change on the annual council tax base form submitted by all billing authorities in England in October each year.
	Any new homes built and properties brought back into use, including student accommodation, which are recorded in the top line of the form, will be included in the bonus calculations. This will help meet a wide range of housing demands which are appropriate to local circumstances.
	Further details of the final scheme design along with provisional allocations can be viewed at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingsupply/newhomesbonus

Allotments

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the extent to which provision of allotments meets demand  (a) nationally and  (b) in each region.

Andrew Stunell: Central Government do not hold information on allotment waiting lists. The latest independent survey of principal local authorities in England on allotment waiting lists, by "Transition Town West Kirby" with the "National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners" in 2010, reported a waiting list of 94,124 people for 158,796 plots. DCLG is working with organisations such as "The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens" to promote non-statutory allotment space for food growing. A link to the survey is available from the "National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners'" website at:
	www.nsalg.org.uk

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the agenda for the next meeting of the cross-Government group working to tackle anti-Semitism; on what date he expects the meeting to take place; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The next cross-Government working group meeting to tackle anti-Semitism will take place in June, date to be set and the agenda for that meeting is yet to be finalised. However, the last group met on the 22 February 2011 and today I have placed copy of that agenda in the Library of the House.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received from  (a) hon. Members,  (b) Members of the House of Lords,  (c) the Board of Deputies of British Jews and  (d) members of the public on the incidence of anti-Semitism; what response each received; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The Department of Communities and Local Government regularly receives representations from hon. Members of both Houses, representative organisations and members of the public of incidences of anti-Semitism. The Department also receives regular updates from the Community Security Trust on incidents of anti-Semitism and through the cross-Government working group meets representatives of the Community Security Trust, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council on a quarterly basis. The Government's latest response to tackling anti-Semitism can be found in the 'Three Years on Progress Report' which can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/antisemitismresponse

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the achievements of the cross-Government working group to tackle anti-Semitism; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Andrew Stunell: The achievements of the cross-Government working group to tackle anti-Semitism can be found at the front of the Government's recently published "Three Years on Progress Report". A copy of the report is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/antisemitismresponse

Biofuels: Avonmouth

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made an assessment of the potential environmental effects of the construction of a proposed biofuels plant near Avonmouth.

Bob Neill: The Secretary of State's decision on this proposal was issued on 10 February and took account of the Inquiry Inspector's report dated 20 October 2010. Having considered the evidence put before the Inquiry, the Inspector was satisfied that an environmental statement was not required. The Secretary of State took into account the conclusions reached by the Inspector on environmental matters and all post inquiry representations on the subject.

Community Development

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 207-8W, on community development, what consultations his Department undertook before identifying the subjects for the case studies, including the work of the big society vanguards; and when the case studies will be published.

Greg Clark: The Government have invited the public to come forward with innovative ideas for improving their communities and the support they need to put them into practice.
	These illustrations of active local engagement will continue to be shared via departmental websites, the barrier busting website and through a range of traditional communications channels so that they are accessible to a wide range of communities across Britain.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) actual and  (b) full-time equivalent staff have left his Department's employment since May 2010.

Bob Neill: Between 1 May 2010 and 31 January 2011 266 people, 258.5 full-time equivalent staff, have left the Department for Communities and Local Government. Figures provided are for employees and include permanent, fixed term contract, casual and staff loaned from other Government Departments and paid for via DCLG payroll.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) actual and  (b) full-time equivalent staff his Department employed on the latest date for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: As at 31 January 2011 the Department for Communities and Local Government employed 2,105 actual staff, 2,035.1 full-time equivalent. All data is compiled as at the end of the month and the latest data available is 31 January 2011. These figures also include 102 staff who left the Department as at close of business 31 January 2011.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) actual and  (b) full-time equivalent staff were employed by his Department in May 2010.

Bob Neill: As at 31 May 2010 the Department for Communities and Local Government employed 2,108 staff, 2,046.2 full-time equivalent.

Departmental Translation Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for which services provided by  (a) his Department and  (b) its associated public bodies, interpreters provide services in a language or languages other than English; how many interpreters are employed or subcontracted for each non-English language; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of interpretation costs incurred in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: In the last financial year 2009-10 the Department spent £3,003.45 on interpretation, all of which was for sign language interpretation. Details of the actual number of interpreters used are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Department does not have any civil servants employed specifically as language interpreters.
	Information on the Department's arms length bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Harrow East of 3 November 2010,  Official Report, column 813W, on European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, if he will place in the Library a copy of the full unredacted invoice.

Bob Neill: The list placed in the Library showed all the information relevant to the question asked by the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) on 3 November 2010,  Official Report, column 813W. I have placed in the Library of the House a copy of the invoice with only the names of individuals redacted. None of the items listed under 'Estimates of other work below' were authorised by the Department and the charges were disputed. The contract with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company has now been terminated, as I announced to the House on 20 December 2010,  Official Report, column 141WS, and with the agreement reached over termination all issues concerning the company's provision of consultancy days have effectively been resolved.

Housing: Owner Occupation

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent research his Department has commissioned on links between home ownership and social mobility.

Grant Shapps: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not commissioned any research on links between home ownership and social mobility since publishing a report entitled "New Horizons Research Programme: Social Mobility And Homeowner ship: A Risk Assessment" in 2007. Copies of this report are available from the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/newhorizonsresearch
	Notwithstanding, I believe that housing is crucial in removing some of the barriers to social mobility, which is why the new Government are introducing programmes like the new national home swap scheme.

Local Government

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to publish the report by the Minister of State for Decentralisation to the Prime Minister on localism and decentralisation; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: "Decentralisation and the Localism Bill: An essential guide", published in December 2010, makes clear that we will issue a progress report by summer 2011 that sets out what each department has done to decentralise. The guide can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/1793908.pdf

Local Government

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) powers are available to and  (b) procedures are followed by local authorities to make properties at risk structurally sound.

Bob Neill: Local authorities have powers under sections 77 and 78 of the Building Act 1984 to require building owners to remedy structural defects in buildings, or alternatively to demolish them. Under section 77 the local authority must apply to the magistrates court to make an order for these purposes, and under section 78 may serve a notice directly on the owner. If the building owner does not take action as required, the local authority may do so itself and recover the cost from the building owner.

Local Government: EU Action

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of promoting European Local Democracy Week in 2011; and what the cost to the public purse was in each previous year for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: We have made no such estimates, nor is information held centrally about the costs to the public purse of earlier European Local Democracy Weeks.

Local Government: EU Action

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what Government funding is available to public bodies and other organisation to promote European Local Democracy Week 2011.

Bob Neill: No specific Government funding is available to support such participation.

Newspaper Press

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made an assessment of  (a) the level of newspaper readership in each decile of the population and  (b) its relationship with levels of civic disengagement.

Greg Clark: Data held by the Government show that in terms of the relationship between newspaper readership and age, readership is prevalent across age bands, as illustrated by the following table.
	
		
			  Table 1: Newspaper readership by age, England, 2009-10 
			  Age band  Percentage citing newspaper as a main source of information on news and current affairs 
			 16 to 25 64 
			 26 to 34 66 
			 35 to 49 66 
			 50 to 64 71 
			 65 to 74 73 
			 75 and over 69 
			 All 68 
		
	
	The relationship between newspaper readership and 'civic disengagement' can be seen in the following table.
	
		
			  Table 2: Newspaper readership and 'civic disengagement', England, 2009-10 
			   Percentage of people civically 'engaged' or 'disengaged', 12 months prior to interview 
			  Newspaper readership  Disengaged  Engaged 
			 No readership 50 50 
			 Readership 36 64 
			 All 41 59

Planning

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to amend Section 43 of the Planning Act 2008 to make parish councils statutory consultees for the purposes of section 42(b) of that Act.

Bob Neill: The Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations (SI 2009 No. 2264) already make relevant parish councils statutory consultees for the purposes of section 42 of the Planning Act 2008. There is therefore no need to make amendment to section 43 of that Act.

Racial and Religious Hatred

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangements his Department has put in place to measure levels of racial and religious hatred.

Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government are not responsible for measuring levels of racial and religious hatred. However, the programme for Government document includes a commitment to improve the collection of hate crime data. The Home Office has implemented this commitment and the formal collection of hate crime data across the five monitored strands (disability, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation) will begin in April of this year. This data is to be published in summer 2012.

Regeneration

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to respond to the conclusions and recommendations of the coalfields regeneration review report.

Andrew Stunell: The Government intend to formally respond to the coalfields regeneration review report and the recommendations shortly. The response will be published on the Department's website.
	The review of coalfields regeneration report, is available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/regeneration/reviewcoalfieldsregeneration

Social Rented Housing

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking in respect of the under-occupation of social housing and the promotion of social mobility.

Grant Shapps: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Woking (Jonathan Lord) on 28 February 2011,  Official Report, column 11.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account he has taken of the Compact between the Government and Civil Society in policy development.

Greg Clark: The Department for Communities and Local Government follows the principles of the National Compact concordat between the Coalition Government and Civil Society in policy developments.

Voluntary Work

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of long-term volunteering rates among  (a) men and  (b) women as (i) formal and (ii) informal volunteers.

Andrew Stunell: All Citizenship Survey data are publicly available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/communities/research/citizenshipsurvey/
	Its assessment indicates a decrease in the levels of regular formal volunteering in England from 2005 to 2009-10 among both males (27% to 24%) and females (31% to 26%o) aged 16 years and over.
	Similarly, levels of regular informal volunteering in England by gender show a decrease in participation from 2005 to 2009-10 among both males (32% to 26%) and females (41% to 32%).
	The Citizenship Survey definition of formal volunteering is
	"Giving unpaid help through groups, clubs or organisations to benefit other people or the environment".
	This excludes giving money and activities related to job requirements.
	Formal volunteers are those who have given unpaid help through any UK groups, clubs or organisations via the following activities: raising or handling money/taking part in sponsored events; leading the group/member of a committee; organising or helping run an activity or event; visiting people; befriending or mentoring people; giving advice/information/counselling; secretarial, admin or clerical work; providing transport/driving; representing; campaigning; other practical help (e.g. helping out at school); and any other help.
	The Citizenship Survey definition of informal volunteering is
	"Giving unpaid help as an individual to people who are not relatives".
	Informal volunteers are those who have given unpaid help to someone who is not a relative via the following activities: keeping in touch with someone who has difficult getting out and about; doing shopping/collecting prescription/paying bills; cooking/cleaning/laundry/gardening or other routine household jobs; decorating or doing any kind of home or car repairs; babysitting or caring for children; sitting with or providing personal care (e.g. washing, dressing) for someone who is sick or frail; looking after property or a pet for someone who is away; giving advice; writing letters or filling in forms; representing someone (e.g. talking to a council department or a doctor); transporting or escorting someone (e.g. to hospital).

Voluntary Work

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of long-term trends in formal volunteering by those with  (a) a degree,  (b) higher education below a degree,  (c) A level or equivalent,  (d) GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent,  (e) GCSEs at grade D to E or equivalent,  (f) foreign and other qualifications and  (g) no qualifications; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: Data held by the Government provide information on the percentage of people who participated in regular (at least once a month) formal volunteering in England, by highest qualification level over the last five survey years.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Highest qualification( 1)  2003  2005  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Degree or equivalent 40 39 37 35 35 
			 Higher Education below degree level 32 41 33 34 31 
			 A-level or equivalent 29 32 31 29 28 
			 GCSE grades A-C or equivalent 29 29 24 24 22 
			 GCSE grades D-E or equivalent 25 20 22 15 18 
			 Foreign and other qualifications 19 28 21 14 13 
			 No qualifications 16 16 15 14 15 
			 Total(2) 28 29 27 26 25 
			 (1) Qualifications based on respondents aged 16 to 69 years. Respondents aged 70 or over are excluded. (2) 'Total' row based on all respondents, including those aged 70 or over. 
		
	
	The definition used of formal volunteering is
	"Giving unpaid help through groups, clubs or organisations to benefit other people or the environment".
	This excludes giving money and activities related to job requirements.
	Formal volunteers are those who have given unpaid help through any UK groups, clubs or organisations via the following activities: raising or handling money/taking part in sponsored events; leading the group/member of a committee; organising or helping run an activity or event; visiting people; befriending or mentoring people; giving advice/information/counselling; secretarial, admin or clerical work; providing transport/driving; representing; campaigning; other practical help (e.g. helping out at school); and any other help.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 212-4W, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reduction in the estimated level of volunteering by young people between 2005 and 2010.

Greg Clark: My Department holds no firm evidence suggesting the reasons for the decrease in volunteering from 2005 to 2009-10. However the new Government, through initiatives such as the National Citizenship Service, and reforms to the vetting and barring scheme, is seeking to expand the opportunities for volunteering.

HEALTH

Abortion: Private Sector

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that independent abortion providers have appropriate care pathways in place for women following abortions;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that counselling provided by independent abortion providers is impartial.

Anne Milton: Independent dependent abortion providers are regulated by the Care Quality Commission and require the Secretary of State's approval to perform abortions. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists evidence based guidelines "The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion", a copy of which is available in the Library, highlights the need for services to have clear care pathways for the management and referral of women. This will include referrals for counselling for those women who require it following abortion.
	In addition, the guideline states that verbal advice should be supported by accurate, impartial, printed information that the woman can understand and may take away to consider further before the procedure.
	The Department produced a model abortion service specification for commissioners in 2010. This specification also highlights the need for robust care pathways and access to impartial information, advice and support.

Abortion: Private Sector

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many women have been re-referred to NHS antenatal units from independent abortion providers following a decision to continue with their pregnancy in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many women  (a) used the 24-hour helpline and  (b) requested follow-up appointments following a pregnancy termination procedure in the last year for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many women were referred from independent abortion providers to adoption advisers following a decision to continue with their pregnancy in the last year for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: This information is not collected by the Department.
	Abortion providers should ensure that women are given time and information to enable them to make an informed decision. This will include information covering alternatives to abortion, such as motherhood or adoption.
	The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists draft evidence based guidelines "The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion" proposes that "all women should be able to choose to return for routine follow-up if they so wish". In addition, it proposes that they should be given a 24-hour helpline number to obtain advice and support after having an abortion.

Baby Care Units

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of children admitted to neonatal units who  (a) died within (i) 24 hours, (ii) two days, (iii) three days and (iv) seven days and  (b) survived and were discharged in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: Neonatal units use local data systems to collect information on date of birth/admission of babies and date of discharge or death to feed into local, and if appropriate national audits. This information is used to inform the development of services locally. It is not reported centrally to the Department.
	Data on all admissions to neonatal units are captured on a central standardised electronic system known as the UK National Neonatal System. Anonymised patient data are collected daily from the majority of neonatal units in England, on data items such as: month and year of birth; date of admission; date of discharge; gestation length at birth; and birth weight. The Neonatal Data Analysis Unit (NDAU), an independent academic unit at Imperial College London, has National Information Governance Board approval to undertake analysis of neonatal electronic records. Any data requests for data from the System would have to be submitted to the NDAU.

Blood: Contamination

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors he took into account in determining how many hours of counselling should be provided to people who have been infected by contaminated NHS blood products; and which organisations will be providing such counselling services.

Anne Milton: Exactly how many hours of counselling might be required has not yet been determined because it is not known how many individuals might want to access this counselling and how many sessions each person may require. Uptake will be reviewed once arrangements are in place during 2011. A decision on which organisation(s) will provide the counselling has not yet been made.

Blood: Contamination

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on improving access to insurance and financial services for people who have been infected by contaminated NHS blood products.

Anne Milton: There have been no ministerial discussions on this issue. However, officials were in discussion with officials in HM Treasury in October and November 2010.

Blood: Contamination

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to provide additional support to people caring for individuals who have been infected by contaminated blood products.

Anne Milton: There is already support available for people caring for individuals who have been infected by contaminated blood products through social services and the Carer's Allowance. There are no plans to provide additional support specifically for carers of this patient group, beyond that announced in the oral statement by the Secretary of State for Health on 10 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 33-35.

Blood: Contamination

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are circumstances in which the additional payments available through the Skipton Fund for people infected by contaminated blood products may be paid to the widow or widower of eligible recipients.

Anne Milton: Where an eligible infected individual has died without making a claim, lump sum payments can be made into his or her estate. The representative of the deceased individual is required to claim payment in the same way as a living infected individual is required to claim. Anyone who considers they may be eligible to claim should contact the Skipton Fund. Details can be found on its website at:
	www.skiptonfund.org
	Discretionary payments will also be available to support the dependants of those infected with Hepatitis C, including the dependants of those who have since died. This includes bereaved spouses and partners.

Cervical Cancer: Smoking

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the link between smoking and cervical cancer.

Paul Burstow: "Improving Outcomes in Gynaecological Cancers", published by the Department in 1999, acknowledged the link between smoking and cervical cancer. The World Health Organisation also acknowledges this link.
	Cancer-causing chemicals from cigarettes have been identified in the cervical samples taken from women who smoke. In addition to this, cells in the cervical lining that help combat disease have been found to be less effective in smokers.

Death

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the years of life lost owing to mortality from  (a) epilepsy,  (b) asthma,  (c) Parkinson's disease and  (d) multiple sclerosis in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: The Department has made no estimate of the potential years of life lost owing to premature mortality from epilepsy, asthma, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2010,  Official Report, column 570W, on drugs: rehabilitation, what estimate he has made of the number of people prescribed daily doses of methadone of between 12 milligrams and 32 milligrams who have been on methadone for over one year.

Anne Milton: This information is not collected centrally.
	The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System collects information on the number of people receiving substitute prescribing interventions for substance misuse in England, but does not distinguish between methadone and other drugs such as buprenorphine which are also recommended for the treatment of drug misuse by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, nor records individuals' daily doses.

General Practitioners: Private Sector

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 February 2011,  Official Report, column 608W, on general practitioners, whether a licensed private healthcare provider will be permitted to  (a) provide services and  (b) enter into a contract with GP consortia to carry out duties in relation to its work as a commissioning body.

Simon Burns: Consortia will be free, within the legislative framework, to make the decisions that they judge are right for patients and provide value for money. This includes commissioning services from the public, voluntary or private sector.
	General practitioner consortia will receive a maximum management allowance to reflect the costs associated with commissioning. They will have the freedom to decide what commissioning activities they undertake for themselves, and for what activities they choose to buy in support from external organisations, including local authorities, private and voluntary sector bodies.

Hospitals: Construction

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the  (a) re-building of the West Cumberland Hospital,  (b) Keswick Cottage Hospital development,  (c) Millom Cottage Hospital development,  (d) Cockermouth Cottage Hospital development,  (e ) Maryport Cottage Hospital development and  (f ) Cleator Moor Health Centre to be complete.

Simon Burns: Responsibility for delivering local health services lies with the national health service locally. The re-development of acute and community hospital facilities in Cumbria is a matter for the local NHS in Cumbria. Cumbria primary care trust and the North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust are best placed to advise on the current position of any proposed developments locally.

Human Papilloma Virus

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will estimate the average cost to the NHS of treating a case of laryngeal papilloma;
	(2)  which wart viruses cause laryngeal papilloma.

Anne Milton: The genital warts that cause laryngeal papilloma are a result of the Human papilloma virus. Laryngeal papilloma is most commonly seen among young children and is transmitted from mother to baby at birth.
	Information is not collected on the average cost to the national health service of treating a case of laryngeal papilloma.

Leeds General Infirmary: Heart Diseases

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports he has received on the future of the child heart surgery unit at Leeds General Infirmary.

Simon Burns: A review of children's heart surgery services, known as the Safe and Sustainable programme, is being carried out within the national health service by the NHS National Specialised Commissioning Team. We have been regularly updated on progress and briefed on the options for future children's heart surgery services which are due to go out to public consultation from 28 February until 1 July 2011. These options can be found at:
	www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/news/view/25

MRSA: Screening

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the capacity of methods of screening against the MRSA bacterium used by NHS hospitals to detect new strains of the infection; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Many laboratory methods are available to national health service hospitals to detect Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and these meet the European Commission standards for safety, quality and performance. NHS trust laboratories use simple tests to detect MRSA. These tests have been available for many years and are capable of detecting the emergence of a new MRSA on this basis.

National Drug Treatment Monitoring System

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people who were reported as successfully discharged from treatment in the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System who returned to GP methadone prescriptions in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: Data from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) records 24,969 adults who completed treatment successfully in England in 2008-09. Of these, 745 (3% of those who completed treatment successfully in 2008-09) re-presented for treatment in 2009-10 and were recorded as receiving a general practitioner prescribing intervention.
	NDTMS collects information on the number of people receiving substitute prescribing interventions for substance misuse in England, but does not distinguish between methadone and other drugs such as buprenorphine which are also recommended for the treatment of drug misuse by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

NHS: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the  (a) monetary value and  (b) value as a proportion of all NHS services of those NHS services which are subject to a set tariff.

Simon Burns: In 2010-11 the national tariff covers an estimated £29 billion of national health service services, representing about 30% of estimated NHS revenue expenditure.

North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has of the likely effects on the provision of acute hospital services at West Cumberland Hospital of  (a) implementation of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill and  (b) NHS Trust mergers involving North Cumbria University Hospitals Acute Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: It is for healthcare commissioners to plan, develop and improve local health services taking into account the healthcare needs of their local populations and in accordance with national policy and guidance.
	The decision taken by North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust to seek a partner organisation, through a merger or acquisition, is about ensuring the sustainable delivery of high quality healthcare. Taking this approach will, in turn, enable the organisation to meet the requirements needed to achieve foundation trust status by April 2014 and benefit from the independence this brings to further develop services to improve health outcomes for patients.

Nurses: Pay

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects on training and career development of the proposal to freeze the payment of annual increments in the salaries of NHS nurses.

Simon Burns: We do not believe that a freeze in incremental progression will have an effect on the training and career development of nurses. The proposal to freeze incremental progression for national health service staff, via a national enabling framework, was made by NHS Employers to the NHS Staff Council. Although NHS trade unions rejected the framework, we understand that NHS Employers have not withdrawn the proposal and that they are encouraging employers to discuss with trade unions the financial challenges they face locally, so they are able to make informed decisions about job security and the potential benefits of the framework for staff and patients.
	Ministers will of course consider very carefully any formal proposals that are made.
	Effective appraisals are an essential part of NHS employment practice, leading to improved staff performance, higher staff satisfaction and better patient outcomes. The NHS Constitution also commits the NHS to providing staff with clear roles and responsibilities, and personal development and 'line management support to succeed'.
	The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework for staff subject to the Agenda for Change pay framework, provides a useful supporting framework to identify the knowledge and skills that staff need to do their job and their development needs. Such annual reviews should take place whether or not there is a pay or increment freeze.

Obesity

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of long-term trends in  (a) calorie intake and  (b) exercise levels; and whether he has made an assessment of the relationship between such trends and levels of heart disease.

Anne Milton: The National Diet and Nutrition Survey collects information on average daily calorie intakes from a random, representative sample of people across the country who are asked to complete a diary of food and drink consumption over a number of days. Information is available on intakes for adult men and women for 1986-87, 2000-01 and 2008-09. Calorie intake for men has fallen slightly, but for women has remained broadly similar. In 1986-87, intake for men was 2,450 kcal/day and for women was 1,680 kcal/day. In 2008-09, intake for men was 2,255 kcal/day and for women was 1,645 kcal/day.
	Participation in physical activity in England is measured through the Health Survey for England. The Health Survey for England 2008 showed that 39% of men and 29% of women reported that they met the chief medical officer's recommended guidelines for physical activity compared with 32% and 21% respectively in 1997.
	The Department has not carried out any specific assessment of the relationship between the trends in calorie intake and physical activity and levels of heart disease.
	The White Paper "Healthy Lives, Healthy People" sets out the Government's vision and approach to improving health, including through better nutrition and increased physical activity levels.

Patient Choice Schemes

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of NHS expenditure in each region which will be spent on implementing his proposals on patient choice in the next 12 months.

Simon Burns: The White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: liberating the NHS' set out a number of commitments on choice. The consultation on these proposals 'Greater Choice and control' closed on 14 January. The replies are currently being analysed and a response will be issued in the spring. There will be a full impact assessment in due course.

Prostate Cancer: Health Services

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to address the variations between trusts in the experience of treatment and care reported by men with prostate cancer in the 2010 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: It is the responsibility of national health service trusts to provide quality treatment and care for their patients.
	In order to incentivise quality improvements in patient treatment, care and experience, all 158 trusts that took part in the 2010 Cancer Patient Experience Survey were sent a bespoke report showing their own results. Each report displayed the results for each question in the survey benchmarked against other trusts. The report also benchmarked by teams within trusts where numbers allowed.
	In order to maximise opportunities for quality improvement actions based on the results of the survey, the trust level reports were sent directly to the chief executive of each trust, clearly identifying whether they were a low performer or not compared to other trusts.
	Primary care trust chief executives and Cancer Network Directors were also sent the local trust reports relevant to their areas to enable local action as appropriate.
	The Department is also funding Quality Health, the survey provider, to offer free presentations to the trusts in the bottom 10%, of performers, explaining their results and offering potential actions they can take to improve the experience of their cancer patients.
	The survey has been identified as a possible exemplar Commissioning for Quality and Innovation payment incentive goal to support local quality improvement. A single composite, case-mix adjusted score for each trust based on the survey results is being developed to enable this.
	In order to promote patient choice, the NHS Choices website has integrated three questions from the survey into comparative tools to allow patients to compare performance.
	We are supporting an academic fellowship application to focus on further analysis of the 2010 dataset. If successful, this analysis aims to look further into the socio-economic findings of the survey and then provide analysis of the links between data from the Cancer Peer Review programme and the survey. A key measure of the Cancer Peer Review programmes is that trusts should be able to demonstrate actions they have taken on the results of patient experience surveys.
	The final anonymised dataset from the survey is being made available for research for other agencies to use for further analysis of the data to further identify where improvements need to be made.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support the NHS provides to persons diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

Paul Burstow: It is for local commissioners to determine what services should be commissioned to meet the needs of their local populations, in the light of local and national professional advice.
	Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), previously known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy, is a complex and poorly understood condition. It seems to involve an excessive reaction to an injury, resulting in localised pain which is much more severe and lasts much longer than would normally be expected from the nature of the injury. It can occur at any age, although it appears to be more common between ages 45-60 and in women. The one available estimate of prevalence is some 21 cases per 1,000,000.
	CRPS can resolve spontaneously, but where this does not occur treatment is more likely to be effective if it is initiated quickly (within three months of the initial symptoms). Diagnosis can be difficult especially in the early stages.
	Treatment involves a combination of:
	1. pain relief with oral medicines or, less commonly, injections or spinal stimulation;
	2. physical therapy (exercises, occupational therapy, hydrotherapy) to restore normal functioning of the affected limb; and
	3. patient education, so that the patient is fully involved in the therapeutic aims.
	Many patients suffer from psychological side effects (depression, anxiety) so good practice involves a psychological assessment and, where needed, psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy or relaxation techniques. A small number of centres in the United Kingdom can provide a specialist rehabilitation service for difficult cases.

Rotavirus Vaccine

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects to receive a further recommendation on the rotavirus vaccine from the Joint Council on Vaccination and Immunisation;
	(2)  when he expects the Health Protection Agency to complete its modelling in order to provide the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation with information on the cost-effectiveness of introducing a rotavirus vaccine.

Anne Milton: Over the next few months, the Health Protection Agency will be completing a new modelling study on the cost effectiveness of a rotavirus vaccination programme. The study will then be peer-reviewed by a panel of independent experts before consideration by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). It is anticipated that the study will be completed and peer-reviewed in time for JCVI to consider the findings at its meeting scheduled for June 2011.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of  (a) new and  (b) repeat cases of (i) genital warts, (ii) pre-cancer and (iii) overt cervical cancer in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: In 2008, the most recent period for which statistics are available, 2,334 women in England were diagnosed with cervical cancer. National statistics reflect newly diagnosed cases of cervical cancer only. Instances of recurrence are not collected nationally.
	Cervical screening only identifies abnormalities that could, if untreated, develop into cancer. We are therefore unable to provide the statistics on abnormalities that will not become cancer.
	The number of diagnoses of genital warts (first episode) in genitourinary medicine clinics (GUM) clinics in England by age groups and years 1995 to 2009, the latest date for which figures are available, are given in the following table.
	
		
			   Genital warts: first episode  Genital warts: recurrence 
			  Age-group  <15  15-19  20-24  25-34  35-44  45-64  65+  Total  Total 
			 1995 195 8,367 17,781 17,270 4,603 2,108 143 50,467 38,890 
			 1996 181 9,414 18,692 18,020 4,909 2,136 153 53,875 41,115 
			 1997 190 10,453 20,012 19,444 5,138 2,317 140 57,852 44,219 
			 1998 171 11,115 19,562 19,824 5,523 2,383 152 58,793 46,816 
			 1999 206 11,273 19,943 19,795 5,791 2,589 200 60,252 47,414 
			 2000 153 11,144 20,029 19,216 6,047 2,500 196 59,758 47,078 
			 2001 143 11,383 20,625 19,756 6,600 2,702 203 61,505 47,055 
			 2002 155 11,518 21,177 19,885 7,097 2,754 183 62,982 45,480 
			 2003 155 12,192 21,893 19,689 7,207 2,986 188 64,319 45,995 
			 2004 146 13,220 23,049 19,977 7,518 3,108 212 67,251 46,227 
			 2005 139 13,490 23,532 20,014 7,305 3,171 189 67,852 48,747 
			 2006 138 14,225 24,129 20,157 7,478 3,358 210 69,700 51,368 
			 2007 153 15,653 25,814 21,593 7,926 3,632 272 75,272 55,517 
			 2008 149 16,364 27,109 22,141 7,959 4,109 313 78,156 57,732 
			 2009 177 15,947 26,934 22,387 8,213 4,307 307 78,274 62,230 
			  Notes: 1. Data by age-group are only available for the groups presented. 2. Data on unknown gender and age-group are included in the 'Total' row for 2009 data. 3. The data available from the KC60 (2008 and earlier) and GUMCAD (2009 onwards) returns are for diagnoses made in genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics only. A recent study (pending publication) of genital warts cases (first and recurrence) seen in GUM clinics and in general practice in 2008 has found most cases seen in general practice were referred on to GUM clinics and estimated that only around 5% of cases were seen in general practice only, ie figures in table 1 may represent up to 95% of cases. 4. The data available from the KC60 and GUMCAD returns are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of patients diagnosed. 5. The information provided is based on reported data from GUM clinics in England that has been adjusted for missing clinic data.  Source: Health Protection Agency, KC60 and Genitourinary Medicine Clinic Activity Dataset (GUMCAD) returns. 
		
	
	Data are unavailable for 2010.

South Central Strategic Health Authority: Manpower

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) registered nurses and  (b) doctors are employed by the South Central strategic health authority.

Simon Burns: Numbers of non-medical nursing staff and medical and dental doctors employed by NHS South Central can be found in the National Health Service Workforce Census, which also includes the numbers employed in the entire strategic health authority (SHA) area. 2009 data are the most recent census data available. 2010 census data will be published in late March 2011.
	The census shows the number of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed by NHS South Central (headcount) is two. The number employed in the entire SHA area (headcount) is 23,925.
	The number of hospital doctors employed by the NHS South Central (headcount) is 11. The number employed in the entire SHA area (headcount) is 7,353.
	The full census is available on the NHS Information Centre for health and social care's website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/nhsworkforce

Swine Flu

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) incidences of and  (b) deaths involving swine influenza there were in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: Respiratory illness in humans caused by swine flu virus (influenza A H1N1 (2009)) was first identified in early 2009 in Mexico. United Kingdom data are thus available for 2009 onwards.
	Influenza activity is monitored through various surveillance indicators including patient consultation incidence rates for influenza-like illness (ILI) in primary care. There are no routine national figures for the overall incidence of influenza infection (including swine flu) in the general population.
	Data on swine flu deaths are summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Time period  Deaths associated with swine flu virus  Reference 
			 Swine flu pandemic (April 2009 to May 2010) A total of 474 deaths with confirmed pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (either laboratory confirmed or with mention on the death certificate) were reported in the UK up to 15 April 2010 (359 in England, 69 in Scotland, 18 in Northern Ireland and 28 in Wales)(1) Epidemiological report of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in the UK www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1284475321350 
			 May 2010 to 2011 (up to 23 February 2011) Further epidemiological information on cases is available on 499 of the 532 fatal confirmed influenza cases from across the UK reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), including 400 cases from England. 461 (92%) of these 499 cases were associated with H1N1 (2009)(2) HPA Weekly National Influenza Report Summary of UK surveillance of influenza and other seasonal respiratory illnesses www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1296681716703 
			 (1) Two parallel systems for collecting information on individual fatal cases operated during the pandemic, one by the chief medical officers (CMO's) office and the other by the HPA. The reports from the two systems were reconciled. CMO's confidential inquiry involved reporting of confirmed fatal cases through the national health service. The HPA's system involved identification of deaths through reconciliation of data from a range of surveillance sources (e.g. influenza laboratory reports, death certificates, reports from local HPA teams). (2) The ascertainment of fatal influenza cases in the current season has been similar to the HPA approach used during the pandemic.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of any internal background note prepared for the response to each Parliamentary question tabled by the hon. Member for Southend West and answered by his Department since 1 July 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The information requested has been placed in the Library.